Waiting For That Dance
by BellaLeigh1
Summary: When you're dead, and the love of your life is immortal, forever can be a very long time. But, Hayley will wait for Elijah until the stars burn out if she has to.
1. Going Home

_This is a companion piece to In This Life Or The Next. Hayley's perspective on things starting with her death and will continue until Elijah's. At which point the stories will merge and be continued strictly there._

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

For one second, Hayley thought that she was saved. More importantly, that Hope was saved. Klaus could be an ass, but he'd never let anything happen to his daughter. Until he toppled to the ground with a stake in his back. A stake planted there by…

"Elijah?"

He stared at her, his eyes reflecting recognition and shock. For a fleeting moment, she took the recognition to heart. Maybe, despite his attacking Klaus, maybe Elijah really was going to be the one to save her. As he had so many times before.

But, no. He twisted the stake deeper into Klaus, and walked to the doorway. "Roman. Are you okay?" He wasn't there for her, or for Hope. He was a part of this.

Greta used Hayley's moment of distraction to plunge her hand into Hayley's chest and grab her heart. Not that it mattered. Her heart had shattered into a million pieces, anyway. Maybe having it ripped out would make it hurt less.

Time seemed to almost stand still. She looked around the room. Klaus was struggling to get to his feet. To get to _her_. Hope was unconscious. Roman was obviously worried about her, but was no match for his mother. And Elijah… The man she had loved with all her heart was gone. Even the man she had met in Manosque five years before was nowhere to be found in this man standing there now. She couldn't trust him to protect Hope. She wasn't even sure she could trust him to not kill her, himself.

But, no. He wasn't there for Greta, either. He was there for Roman. And Roman cared about Hope. Once Greta was dealt with, Hope would be safe. Once Greta was dealt with.

She closed her eyes. _I love you, Hope._ She grabbed Greta's wrist in one hand, and the finger that sported her Daylight Ring in the other, and pulled in opposite directions. Throwing the severed finger to the ground, she grabbed Greta's shoulders and slammed them both through the door - and into the sun.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

She was on the edge of the bayou. How did she get there? How did she even get back to New Orleans? Her last memory was of a blinding pain. And then, she remembered just what that pain had been. Burning to death. She was dead. For good, this time. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but brushed them away. If she was in the bayou, then maybe the rest of the wolves were nearby. She would like to see Eve, again. And then find out where Cami had ended up.

There was a chuckle from behind her, and then a familiar voice. "It's a little disconcerting, isn't it? One minute you're in a shack, who knows where, the next you're here."

"Jackson?!" She wasn't sure why that surprised her. She was dead, after all. And she wasn't the only one. She looked around. But, she and Jackson seemed to be alone. "Greta?"

"Dead. Let me tell you, watching you die was hard as hell. But, it was kind of satisfying watching you take that bitch out with you."

"Watching me die? Have you been watching me this whole time?" The thought was a little sickening, actually.

Jackson shook his head. "No. Of course not. We can, of course. We can watch over the people we care about. Most of us only check in once in a while. It gets too hard, otherwise. I mean, it's not like we can do anything about what we see. But, we can feel it when someone we care about is particularly emotional."

He took her into his arms, but she pulled away. "Jackson…" She wasn't being fair, really. But, it would be even less fair to let him think that things could go back to the way they were.

Jackson stared at her with an incredulous expression. "You're my wife, Hayley. And I've missed you."

"I _was_ your wife, Jackson. I promised you 'until death do us part'. We're both dead."

"This is about him, isn't it? Elijah? The bastard stood there and watched you die, and you're still in love with him."

"He wasn't himself, Jackson. And you knew. You always knew. Don't stand here and pretend that you didn't know…"

He cut her off. "That you were basically using me? That our marriage was nothing to you except a way to get the rest of the wolves to stand with you against the witches? Yeah, I guess I did know that. I guess I just also thought that that line you gave me about choosing me was true, that you had come to love me. I guess I was just stupid."

"I did love you! I just… I never stopped loving him. And I'm not going to apologize for that. I can't help how I feel. I did love you, Jackson. But, yes. I'm in love with Elijah. I fell in love with him the moment I laid my eyes on him. And that never changed. I'm sorry for dragging you into all of this, but…"

"So, you're not going to apologize for loving him, but you'll apologize for marrying me? That's just great, Hayley."

"That is quite enough, young man!"

That voice. She knew that voice, but how? And then she remembered. Freya's visions. She turned around to see someone she hadn't really seen since she was a baby. Someone she knew more from a vision than from memory. She probably wouldn't have recognized him if she saw him on the streets of New Orleans. And yet, here, her heart knew him. "Daddy?"

"Andrea. No. Hayley. You'll have to forgive me. I haven't gotten used to calling you Hayley, yet. In my mind, you're still my baby."

"Yeah. And not this hybrid monster I've become." She brushed away tears. For just a minute, she had thought that she would have a family, again.

And then there were arms around her. She struggled for a minute before realizing that they weren't Jackson's arms.

"That isn't even close to what I meant. Hope is old enough for you to understand, I think. It's hard for a parent to come to terms with their children growing up and becoming strong, confident, independent adults. And you… your mother and I are so proud of you, of the woman you've become. Never, ever doubt that." His next words were whispered almost too low for her to hear them. "I should have listened to her."

"You should have listened to her about what?"

"Honestly? That it was too soon for you and Jackson to see each other again. We didn't get much warning that you were coming, though. No time to talk things over. I didn't want you here alone, and thought it would be weird for you to be faced with us with no warning. If we had had more time to think, we would have sent your friend Cami."

Hayley smiled at that. "Cami's here then?" Which was a stupid question, actually. Of course Cami was there, somewhere. Hadn't her own first thought been of trying to find her?

"She stays in the quarter with her brother and uncle. But, she came to see Ansel shortly after she died. He introduced us to her. She's a very sweet girl. We like her. Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if she's with your mother, now. From what I saw, your death hit Klaus pretty hard. Cami would have felt that."

She shuddered at that. "Well, that is going to be very much not fun."

Her father frowned. "I thought you and Cami were friends? If you don't want to see her.."

"No! I want to see Cami. But… Hope was unconscious when I died."

"Shit. Let's get you home, baby girl. Because you're right. That is very much not going to be fun."

Home. She was going home. With her father. To see her mother. The parents she had spent over twenty years thinking had abandoned her, but who were now here with her, and loved her, and were proud of her.

And Cami was probably there, as well. And, if not, Hayley knew where to find her. St. Anne's. Father Kieran would know where she was.

She took her father's hand with a smile.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"Hayley!" Two voices called out to her at once. One, familiar, the other… less so. Cami… and her mother.

Cami reached her first, and pulled her into a hug. "I am so sorry, Hayley."

"It's good to see you, though. And I need to talk to you later. Alone?"

"Of course. Though, do you want just the two of us, or should we ask Aiden to join us?"

Hayley smiled at that. Of course. Even here, Cami was still a shrink. And still damned good at reading people. It shouldn't really surprise her that her friend knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. "I'll see if Aiden wants to come, too. The three of us can hang out at Rousseau's, get completely sloshed, and commiserate." She stopped and tilted her head. " _Can_ we get completely sloshed?" She really hoped so. She wasn't sure she wanted to try to get through a literal eternity waiting for Elijah sober.

"You can if you want. Or, if you want to drink the entire bar without so much as slurring your words, you can do that, too. Being dead really does have its perks."

Hayley couldn't help but laugh. And then she finally turned to the other woman that had been waiting for her.

It wasn't quite like looking in a mirror. But, the family resemblance was certainly there. "Mom?"

She found herself pulled into another hug. "Hayley. Welcome home, baby. Even if it is far too soon for you to be here."

And then the enormity of what had happened hit her. She was thirty-five years old. She should have had decades even if she had never met Klaus. And thanks to Hope, she should have had _centuries._

Hope. She wasn't going to be there to help Hope through her first transition. She wouldn't dance at her daughter's wedding. She would never hold her grandchildren.

Two more pairs of arms were suddenly around her. She found herself the center of a group hug as she broke down, mourning her own death and all the things she was never going to do, now.

Eventually, she got herself pulled together, and they let her go. She wiped her eyes and then looked around. There was another person in the room, now. Standing anxiously by the door. "Aiden! Cami and I were just talking about you. I'm guessing you're here because they've told Josh?"

Aiden nodded. "Yeah. He's doing better than Klaus is. But, it was still bad enough to get my attention."

"Well, Cami and I were actually wondering if you wanted to go to Rousseau's with us? I desperately need to get drunk off my ass. And… well… there are certain aspects to my situation that the two of you would understand better than anyone else I know."

"Yeah. Let's go get drunk, and talk about Elijah, Klaus, and Josh."

"You kids go have fun. Hayley, I can't imagine you would want to stay in the plantation house or the compound. So, know that you do have a home, here, too."

"I was actually thinking of offering her my second bedroom. Sean and Uncle Kieran still stay at St. Anne's. I mean, if that's okay with you, that I'm stealing your daughter so soon after you got her back."

"Go! We'll see you all later."

Hayley shook her head and hugged her parents. "We do have a lot to talk about, though. But, right now… Right now, I need my friends." And then she grabbed Cami's and Aiden's arms and pulled them out of the cabin.


	2. Misery Loves Company

Hayley was on her fourth drink when Cami finally spoke up. "So, are you ready to talk about that thing that only we would understand?"

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. I mean, I do want to talk about it. But… talking about it would make it real, you know?"

"We do know. Watching Josh dating sucks. It hurts. And then I feel horrible for feeling that way. I love him. And I want him to be happy. And I certainly don't want him to spend the rest of his life alone. Especially considering just how long 'the rest of his life' could end up being. But, at the same time…"

"At the same time, you're here. Waiting for him. He's it for you. And you're scared to death that when he gets here, he won't still want to be with you." Cami poured them all another drink.

"How do you two deal with that? How do you reconcile wanting them to be happy with wanting them to still want you, thousands of years from now?" Hayley felt like she was going to be sick. Which shouldn't be possible, here. Then again, it wasn't illness making her feel that way. It was, if she was being honest, the thought of Elijah never being with her, again. There was, after all, that girlfriend he had mentioned. Hayley had interrogated Cami and Aiden on the way to Rousseau's and they had admitted that not only was he still with the same woman, she was his fiancee, now. And, there it was. The queasy feeling was worse.

"Who said that we do? We watch, and we get a little sick to our stomachs, and this isn't the first time the two of us have gone drinking together. And we hate whoever they're with at the time, and we hate ourselves for feeling that way."

"Though, you have an advantage, there."

"Oh? The love of my life doesn't even remember who _he_ is, much less who _I_ am, and is engaged to someone else. Explain to me how I have an advantage, there."

Cami rolled her eyes. "First of all, you think Marcel's compulsion will outlive Elijah? Worst case scenario, he'll remember everything the minute he dies. He'll remember you."

"And he'll have had centuries with her. You really think that remembering me then is going to matter? You think that that short amount of time we actually had together is going to trump the life he's going to build with her?" She angrily brushed the tears that were starting to form away.

"Hayley… You're my Alpha, my Queen. So, know that I say this with the utmost respect. You are an idiot. Out of all of us, you are the one with the least to worry about. Even with that bitch Antoinette in the picture. Explain it to her, Cami. Because, apparently she doesn't get it."

"Think back to the day you went to France. Do you remember what Elijah said to you when he walked up to you?"

"Something about me being either broke or a bad drunk. Why?"

Aiden massaged his temples like he was getting a headache. Something that definitely shouldn't be possible, here. "And his reason for making that comment?"

Hayley thought back. "Because I had been nursing a glass of wine for an hour. So what? Why are you two acting like that means something?"

And then Aiden literally threw his hands up in exasperation. "I can't deal with her, like this. I just can't. Seriously. I think we're going to have to just spell it out for her."

Cami sighed. "Hayley, think. How did he know how long you'd been there, much less that you were still on your first drink? He couldn't take his eyes off of you. For an hour. Then, made a point of going over and talking to you, telling you where he was going, and basically inviting you to go, too." Then she laughed. "Or to put it another way… The man had a girlfriend, but spent an hour staring at you, trying to get up the courage to talk to you. The fact is that even when his mind didn't remember you, his heart did."

Aiden was nodding in agreement. "It may be centuries or even longer before he gets here. But, when he does… I can guarantee that the first thing he's going to do is look for you."

"You know, you two are making me feel kind of bad, right now."

"Why? Because you can't offer us the same assurances? Don't. We understand. This is just how things are."

"It was something I had even thought of before I died. I don't know that asking Hope to turn me would have ever been an option I would have been willing to consider. And then, when Josh and I were planning on leaving town to be together and get away from the drama, that really stopped being an option. So, I always knew that if there was more, if there was an afterlife, that the odds were very good that I would be spending mine alone."

"Which is still pretty crappy. Even if you were kind of expecting it."

Leave it to Cami the shrink to realize that Hayley wasn't just talking about Aiden, anymore. "Jackson knows, Hayley. He always knew. He's having a hard time right now, because part of him was kind of hoping that you wouldn't be able to forgive Elijah for letting you die, or even for erasing his memories. But, he's not stupid. He did know. And he'll get over it."

"I think what even Jack doesn't realize is that he's been pretty much brainwashed his entire life. He was raised to be with Andrea Labonair. When Andrea came back to New Orleans as Hayley, he… He couldn't separate them in his mind. But, the truth is, it was Andrea he thought he was in love with. It was Andrea he wanted. And, Andrea would have been raised to be with him. She would have had pretty much the same brainwashing that he had. He wasn't expecting a strong, confident woman who had her own mind, and her own ideas about how her life was supposed to go. And he certainly wasn't expecting her heart to belong to someone else. But, he was so conditioned for that role, that even now, even here, he can't shake it."

"And here I thought that I was the shrink."

"I've known him longer. You don't need a Psych degree to see what his upbringing did to him."

"Yeah. I just wish. I mean… we are literally in Heaven. And we have the three of us pining after men who will probably not be here for centuries, and may not want to be with us anymore when they get here. And Jackson… thinking he had been reunited with his wife, only to find out that she intends to spend the next several centuries waiting for a man that may not want her, anyway. And now he has to deal with the fact that even if Elijah doesn't still want me when he gets here… I'm not going to be with Jackson."

"In all honesty, I think that once he comes to terms with everything, accepting that will be easier than the idea of being your consolation prize would have been. So, I'm glad for both your sakes that you have no intention of going that route."

"I belong to Elijah. Heart and soul. Yes, I loved Jackson. Part of me still does. But… It's always been Elijah."

"Is this a private pity party, or can anyone join?"

Cami looked up at the newcomer and smiled. "Hey, Diego. That depends on if your girlfriend is with you or not. Hayley's already had Jackson sprung on her the minute she got here. The last thing she needs is to have to deal with Gia, too."

Hayley blinked. Diego and Gia? That was certainly interesting. "Pull up a stool, Diego. Are you here for a particular reason, or just in the mood for a drink?"

"Marcel. I knew you had died, and had a feeling that you would come looking for Cami. Or for a stiff drink. Or both."

Hayley laughed. "Well, you were sort of right on both counts. Cami was at my parents' house. Thanks to Klaus, she actually watched me die, and figured I could use a friendly face. She was right. But, if she hadn't been there, I would have gone to St. Anne's to see if Father Kieran knew where she was."

"And then they told Josh, which got my attention. We're here discussing the joys of being dead and in love with someone who's immortal."

"Man, I'm actually glad that I never really fell in love while I was alive. I do not envy you guys at all." He finally sat down.

"Cami, pour the man a drink." Hayley turned to Diego. "So, I don't know what to ask you about first. You and Gia, or why you decided to come looking for me."

"I'll explain me and Gia, first. When she died, she went to her mother. But, she was a vampire. She was one of Marcel's vampires. I figured she should know that she still had a place in our community, you know?"

"And that place ended up being in your bed?"

"Eventually. It's not like I planned that. But, I found her and introduced myself. We started to hang out. She didn't really know any of the other vampires, you know? And, I mean, we aren't vampires anymore, here. At least, not physically. But, there is still a bit of that mindset. And that sense of eternity cut short. It's something that only one of us would understand. I did introduce her around. It's not like I was trying to keep her to myself, or anything."

Cami laughed. "Nobody is accusing you of anything, Diego."

"I know. Anyway… eventually, hanging out led to us dating. And the rest, as they say, is History."

"I guess that makes sense. Though, it is weird to think of relationships starting here. On the other hand, that gives me hope."

"Oh? Don't tell me you're looking to replace our man Elijah. I honestly think that him getting here and having you not be waiting for him would destroy him."

"That's sweet. And, I kind of hope that you're right. Because I don't know what it would do to me if he doesn't want me when he gets here. No, I was thinking more about Jackson. Maybe now that I'm here, and waiting for Elijah, he'll finally get it through his head that I am not the woman he spent his whole life thinking he wanted. And maybe he'll let himself find love, again. This time with someone who loves him just as much. Someone who isn't pining for someone else."

Aiden and Diego both raised their glasses. "I'll drink to that."

"So, what made you decide to come looking for me?"

"Honestly? The same thing that made me look for Gia, when she got here. I don't know how the wolves feel about you, being a hybrid and basically a Mikaelson and all. But, regardless of how they feel about you, you have another family, too. You're still one of us."

"I appreciate that, Diego. And I think at some point, I'm going to definitely want to see the others. But, right now… Cami is right. Dealing with my ex was hard enough. I'm not ready to start dealing with Elijah's exes. Absolutely nothing against Gia, and I'm really happy for both of you that you found each other. I just need a bit more time to process everything."

And then, she dropped her glass as a wave of pain and grief washed over her. "Hope."

In a move that belied Diego's assertion that they weren't vampires anymore, Cami vaulted over the bar, and took Hayley into her arms. "It's going to be okay, Hayley. She's strong, and Freya is with her. She'll be okay."

Hayley could only nod and hold onto Cami. "My baby. My baby is hurting and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it. I can't even hold her. I can't comfort her. Hell! I can't even let her know that I'm okay." She took a deep breath. "Does this ever get any easier?"

Cami nodded. "It's harder right now because it's about you. You can also tell when someone you care about is thinking about you. So… because her grief is about you…"

"I'm basically getting a double dose of it."

And then there was the sound of… a phone ringing? Before she had time to process that, Aiden was talking to someone. "Yeah. She felt that. We're still at Rousseau's. Cami is trying to help her deal with it. Honestly, I think that more alcohol might be the best thing for her, right now. She can drown her pain." There was a pause. "Yeah. I've thought of that. Hopefully we have a while before that comes up. I don't know what that will do to her." Another pause. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Tell me you've kicked him out? The _last_ fucking thing Hayley needs when she gets home is to have to deal with Jackson on top of everything else. Yeah, put him on."

Jackson was at her parents' house? Did he feel Hope's pain? In a way, that was sweet, that he cared about her daughter enough to have that happen. On the other hand, Aiden was right. She didn't want him to be there when she got home.

"Look, you can't be there when Hayley gets there. She's going through enough, right now." A pause. "No, Jackson. Look, if you're feeling this, I imagine that Grandma Mary is, too. _She_ needs you, right now. Hayley doesn't." Another pause. "Good, do that. I'll talk to you later."

"I'm going to have to deal with him eventually, aren't I?"

"Yeah. Eventually, the two of you are going to have to have everything out. But… you've been dead less than twenty-four hours. Your daughter is hurting. All the people you thought of as family are hurting. Between your own grief and what you're going to be picking up from them… This is not the time to deal with your ex-husband. You'd think the man hadn't died himself, the way he's acting like you fucking owe him something."

Hayley had to laugh at that. "Interesting way to put it."

Aiden shrugged. "I just mean that every one of us has been where you are. We've all had to deal with our own deaths while being constantly bombarded with the pain of those we left behind. There is nobody up here that hasn't been exactly where you are. He should know better."

Cami shook her head, and walked back behind the bar. "I think this calls for more alcohol. Don't fight it, Hayley. Let the alcohol affect you. You don't have to worry about a hangover. So, you can let yourself get blackout drunk to drown the pain for now, and not have to pay the price later."

"I'll drink to that." And then Hayley got down to business, drowning her pain in anything and everything Cami handed her like her sanity depended on it. Which, it sort of did, at that point. And eventually, the blessed relief of oblivion claimed her.


	3. Regrets

_Whew. This chapter ended up being pretty intense. Hayley's afterlife is... not exactly peaceful, right now. When Cami teaches her how to watch over the people she cares about, which will be worse, her own funeral - or the inside of Elijah's head?_

 _As always, thank you for the likes, comments, reviews, and just for reading. It's greatly appreciated._

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Well, it seemed that Cami was right. Hayley had literally gotten blackout drunk last night. But, she'd never have guessed that from the way she was feeling. She also had no idea where she was. Not that she was too concerned about that. There were only so many places she could be. She was either in the apartment above Rousseau's, wherever Cami lived, or back at her parents' cabin. And there was only one way to find out.

She climbed out of bed and made her way to the door. Okay, they were in the apartment above Rousseau's. Which made sense. Not as far to carry her unconscious ass. But, it wasn't just Cami, Diego and Aiden there. Her parents were there, too. She smiled at them. "What time is it?"

"To be honest… Time gets kind of strange up here. It's really easier to not even try to figure it out. Hayley… Baby, things are going to be rough for you for a while. Hope is a mess. Freya and Klaus aren't doing much better."

Hayley could only nod. It wasn't as intense as the moment Hope was told about her death, but there was still this ache, coming at her from so many directions that she couldn't really think straight. "Tell me this is going to get better."

"I'll go you one better. We can tell you how to turn most of it off. It won't block out everything, but it will block all but the most intense emotions. It should help you at least get through your funeral. Unless…"

"Unless what?" There was only silence. "Mom. Tell me. Unless what?"

It was Aiden that spoke, though. "Klaus bit Antoinette. Elijah is trying to strike a deal. Some of Klaus's blood in exchange…"

And then he trailed off, too. What in the world was going on that nobody wanted to tell her? "In exchange for what? What did Elijah offer him in exchange?" Though, she was starting to get an idea. An intense emotion that she wouldn't be able to block. There was one rather obvious thing. "Just tell me. What did Elijah offer Klaus in exchange for his blood?"

"His brother back. He offered to get his memories back. To remember his family. To remember you."

"Klaus turned him down. Told Marcel that Elijah let you die. That he saw the look in your eyes when you thought that Elijah was there to save you, and then he didn't. And now you're dead, and as far as Klaus is concerned, so is Elijah."

"No! He wasn't himself. That wasn't Elijah in that cabin. Klaus can't really hate him forever for that, can he? They need each other. Now more than ever."

Cami gave a sad smile. "He was lying. Or at least only telling part of the story. But… Sometimes, I can actually get into his head. And, the truth is, it's for Elijah's sake. Klaus is afraid that remembering you will destroy Elijah. So, either way, they've lost him. At least if he doesn't get his memories back… He's trying to save Elijah from himself, Hayley. He doesn't hate him. He loves him. And he's trying to do what's best for him."

"Explain to me how killing his fiancee is doing what's best for him?"

"I don't think he intends to actually let her die. You know how Klaus can be, sometimes. Do this to punish Elijah for letting you die. Then swooping in at the last minute to save the day. It's a very Klaus-like thing to do."

"Unless this is less about Elijah than it is about Klaus also blaming that bitch for Hayley's death."

Hayley couldn't help but laugh. "You really hate her, don't you? Why? It can't just be because she isn't me."

It was actually her father that answered. "We all have a theory. No way to confirm or deny it, because none of us can get into her head, and none of us care to get to know anyone that might be able to. Cami has watched more of this play out than the rest of us, because, for Klaus's sake, she's been kind of watching over Elijah."

"Antoinette always knew damn well who Elijah is. And kept it from him. But, there's more to it. She knew that her mother intended to kill you and Hope. She sent Elijah to save Roman from Klaus, but never mentioned her mother being a homicidal maniac. And then she didn't go with him. Aiden's theory, that the rest of us certainly see the merit in, is that she was hoping that you would be killed."

Hayley could only stare. "You think she wanted me out of the way?"

"Hayley, Antoinette knows what we have all been trying to tell you since you got here. What even Diego tried to tell you. Whatever Elijah Smith may feel for Antoinette… _you_ are Elijah Mikaelson's soulmate. So, yes. We think she wanted you out of the way. And so, she sent the one person on the planet who stood a chance against Klaus to 'rescue' her brother. But, didn't go with to try to stop her mother. So, yeah. I think this all played out exactly the way that bitch hoped it would."

"But, why send Elijah? Was it just to try to put another wedge between him and Klaus?" She was missing something. And judging from the looks on everyone's faces, they wanted her to keep missing it. And then part of what Aiden had said that had gone over her head finally sank in. "She sent the one person who stood a chance against Klaus… I'm not dead _in spite of_ Elijah. I'm dead _because_ of him. Because if he hadn't been there, Klaus could have saved me, and I could have kept Klaus from hurting Roman."

"Not just you. Elijah snapped Caroline's neck on the way to Klaus. Between the two of you…"

The queasy feeling was getting worse. "Dear God. If… if Elijah remembers me… and that occurs to him…"

"We told you that you had a rough road ahead of you, baby girl. Now you understand why. Klaus is right. This just might destroy Elijah."

Hayley felt sick. "Well, that would certainly make Klaus want her dead. But…" She stopped as she remembered Diego's girlfriend. "I was about to say that he wouldn't do that to Elijah, but… he made Elijah watch Gia die. And that was just for appearance's sake to trick Dahlia. Who knows what he's capable of if he's blaming Antoinette for my death?"

"Cami is probably right. Klaus will likely save her in the end, not wanting to cause Elijah more pain. I kind of wish he wouldn't, but… Who really knows what he's going to do, in the end? He's pretty damned messed up, right now."

"You guys sure seem to have talked about this a lot, considering how recently it went down."

"You were passed out for a while, there. So, we got together and talked. I mean, we've all hated Antoinette for a very long time. Admittedly, partly because she wasn't you."

Aiden laughed. "Full disclosure, none of us particularly liked Declan either. Mainly because he wasn't Elijah."

Hayley had to laugh at that. "In hindsight… Declan was my Gia. I was rebounding. Hell! I even rebounded to a human. Part of me knew damn well that I was just biding my time until I could somehow get Elijah back." She sighed. "And now…"

"And now, you wait. And in the meantime, we teach you a few tricks. Which do you want first? How to block things out, or how to watch them? Admittedly, they're both pretty easy."

Hayley didn't even have to think about it. Her family's pain was there, but she could deal with it. If Elijah was about to be made to remember her, she should be there for him. Even if he didn't know that she was. "How do I watch them?"

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Cami smiled at her. "Like I said, it's easy. All you really have to do is close your eyes and think of whoever you want to watch. It is easier if they're also thinking of you, at the time. Which Elijah won't be, not at first. So that will complicate things a bit for you."

"Marcel. Or Vincent."

"Do you want to try being slightly less cryptic, Diego?"

"Hayley cares about Marcel and Vincent, right? And they would certainly be thinking of her while they're trying to restore Elijah's memories. That would put her in the room. She can shift her focus to Elijah once she's there."

"That makes sense. Try that, Hayley."

And then Aiden swore. "Guys, we might want to rethink this a bit. I can't be the only one getting this."

And then Hayley understood the rise in the level of pain she was picking up from Freya, Josh, Klaus, and Hope. What the fuck? Didn't Marcel tell them what he was going to do? They should be waiting until he was done. Elijah deserved to be there for this. "No, Aiden. You are certainly not the only one getting it." She turned to Diego. "Can you watch Marcel for me? Let me know when they're about to start? Right now… I… have a funeral to go to. I need to be there for Hope."

Diego nodded and then closed his eyes. And then everyone in the room followed suit. Hayley closed her own eyes, concentrating on her daughter. And she was on the streets of New Orleans, walking behind a cart carrying her coffin. She frowned. This was all wrong.

"No," she breathed. "I don't want this. I never wanted this. I never wanted a New Orleans funeral. I told Elijah when Kieran died, that if I died and somebody threw a party I'd be pissed. And now I've died, and they're throwing a party. And, you know what? I am just as pissed as I thought I would be."

She opened her eyes to see everyone staring at her and understood. There was a problem with that. A very big problem. "I told Elijah. Who doesn't even remember who I am, much less my opinions on the kind of funeral I would want. I never thought to tell anyone, or make some kind of living will about it. Because I was a hybrid. A vampire. I was supposed to be immortal."

She picked up a glass and threw it across the room, making them all wince when it shattered against the wall. "I was supposed to be immortal! I was supposed to live forever. I was supposed to watch my daughter grow up. I was supposed to dance with Elijah at Hope's wedding. Hell! I was supposed to dance with Elijah at _our_ wedding. I wasn't supposed to die at thirty-five fucking years old. I wasn't supposed to have the love of my life decide to get his mind wiped because he didn't fucking trust himself to stay away from his siblings. He was supposed to remember that I wouldn't want this and make them cancel this nonsense, and just give me a werewolf funeral. He was supposed to remember. He was supposed to still love me." And then she burst into tears. "He was supposed to still love me."

And then Cami's arms were around her. "He does still love you, Hayley. Deep down, the part of him that is still him does still love you. You have to believe that."

"You'll forgive me for having trouble believing that, right now. I mean, I'm not even entirely sure he still loved me before he had them take away his memories. I think that forgetting me was part of the point. He could forget the bitch that broke his heart again and again. Do you have any idea how close we came to the last words I ever said to him being 'don't touch me'?"

Nobody said anything. Then again, she wasn't exactly looking for a response. "I just… I just wish I knew why. Why did he just leave me like that? Yes, a long distance relationship with no idea of how long it was going to have to go on like that would have been hard, but… We could have made it work. Hope was in a fucking boarding school. We could have visited each other, while she was away at school. But, instead, he just left me. Like I didn't mean anything to him. Like I had never really meant anything to him. He just fucking _left_ me!" Another glass crashed against the wall. A glass she didn't even remember throwing. "The bastard just fucking left me, without even telling me he was going to do it and saying a proper goodbye."

Okay, anger at Elijah was maybe not the most logical emotion to be feeling, but when were emotions ever logical? Falling in love with Elijah while pregnant with his brother's child was also not logical. And yet, she had. And had never questioned that. "We should have left New Orleans. All of us. As soon as we found out that Esther was after them. We should have told you, Marcel, and Davina everything. Grabbed you, grabbed Rebekah and Hope, and gotten the fuck out of Dodge. Ran far away. There was so much that we were willing to sacrifice for our family. We killed anyone that dared to try to hurt us. We killed innocent people who just got in the way of whatever we were trying to do. We sacrificed our own humanity. Time and time again. We became the fucking monsters that mortal fiction has always painted us as. Why the fuck was that fucking city the one thing we weren't willing to sacrifice? If we had just run away…" She looked at Cami, then at Aiden. "If we had just run away, then maybe the three of us would still be alive."

"Can the resident shrink chime in with an opinion?"

"Of course. If you have any theories, I'm all ears. Anything to make this even a little bit easier."

"We're all young. To us, running away makes sense. They have been running from their parents for a thousand years. There comes a time when you have to stop running. And, I think they wanted something better for Hope. They wanted a home for her. And New Orleans felt like home to them. Would it have made more sense to run one last time and find somewhere else to make our home? Of course. But, I can understand their mindset a bit. And, we're looking at this through the lens of hindsight. We know how things turned out, and we're looking for a way we could have prevented it. But, we don't know that it would have. For all we know, it would have actually made things worse. After all, Dahlia could sense Hope. Without Freya on our side, what would have happened? We don't really know, do we? Maybe Freya would have found you, even if you had left town. Maybe she could sense her family, too. But, maybe not. And, even supposing you had still managed to deal with Dahlia, would the Strix still have tracked you down? Would Lucian still have made that serum? We can't actually know, Hayley."

Aiden sighed. "Actually, there is one thing that we _can_ know. And that one thing, is pretty huge. The damned Hollow probably never would have gotten Hope if they hadn't had to go back to New Orleans to rescue Klaus. Which means that Hayley, at least, would likely still be alive. Alive, married to Elijah, and happy. I'm with her on this one. You guys all should have ran. Even if it had changed nothing else, Hayley would still be alive. So would Jackson. Since if you had ran, Hayley never would have had to marry him. Even if the Strix had found you somewhere else, Jackson wouldn't have been there. Maybe it wouldn't have saved the two of us. But it would have saved them."

"Which is still hindsight. They couldn't have known how things were going to turn out. Getting angry at them for deciding it was time to take a stand doesn't help anyone."

"Umm… guys… If Hayley hasn't decided that she's too pissed at Elijah for deciding to forget her to still want to be there for him, then… it's time."

Hayley took a deep breath, and looked at Cami. "My dad said you were keeping an eye on Elijah for Klaus's sake?"

"I care about Elijah, too. You want me to go with you?"

Hayley could only nod. And then Cami took her hand, and they both closed their eyes.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

They were in what looked like an old stone prison cell. Complete with bars. So, definitely a prison cell. Elijah's hands were in chains, and Hayley had to wonder if the chains were spelled, somehow. After all, normal chains would hardly hold a normal vampire, much less an original. While he talked to Marcel and Vincent, Hayley took a minute to look around the room. Her eyes settled on the woman sitting pensively in the corner. "Antoinette, I assume?"

Cami nodded. "If you ask me, you're much prettier. Much less of a conniving bitch, too."

"Cami, the woman is dying. We, of all people, should have some respect for that. We know what it's like. You… you died of a werewolf bite. You know better than anyone the pain she's in, right now."

"The bitch pounced on Elijah the minute he had forgotten his family, and was instrumental in your death. No. I am not going to have some respect. She deserves the pain she's in."

Hayley could only shake her head and go back to watching Elijah. She watched as Vincent cast a spell to open his mind. And as Marcel started talking to him, compelling him to remember. But, there was something wrong. How could they not see how he was shaking? She couldn't tell what was going on inside his head, there hadn't been time to teach her that trick, yet. But, just from looking at his face, she could see it. "He's hurting. Cami, what the hell is happening?"

"I don't know. It's not like any of us knew what he was planning to watch them do this the first time."

"Can you get into his head? I don't know how, yet."

"Honestly, I'm afraid to try. With the way Vincent had to open his mind up, he might sense me there. And I don't know what that would do to him."

Hayley nodded in understanding. No. That was a risk they couldn't afford to take. She had no choice but to watch Elijah in silence, while Marcel tried to force him to remember.

"No. I… I can't. I can't." The shaking was getting worse. Couldn't they see that this was hurting him? They were killing him.

"Let it all back in."

"Make them stop! How do I make them stop?!"

"We can't do anything, Hayley. We are merely observers. We have no power. We can't even be seen, or felt. We can only watch."

Watch. As the man she loved was torn up from the inside. As the inside of his own head became a battleground. Watch as he begged for it to stop. For them not to keep doing this to him.

"You're hurting him."

 _You tell them, Antoinette. I can't make them stop, but maybe you can._ But no. They weren't listening to her, either. Why couldn't they see what was happening? Did they hate him so much that they didn't care that he was in pain, that _they_ were hurting him horribly?

And then suddenly the prison cell was gone. She was with Elijah, but they were alone. In the white corridor that she knew was a representation of the inside of his mind. And there was the red door, at the end. She knew what was on the other side of that door. And she couldn't just stand here and watch him open it. "Elijah. Stop. Stop!"

Either he didn't hear her, or he was ignoring her. He reached out and touched the handle. And pulled his hand back like he was burned. Was the door hot, now? And then she realized that the edges were burnt. She didn't remember them being burnt, before.

She didn't have time to wonder about that, though. Because she was back in the prison cell, and Elijah was screaming. And then he collapsed.

Hayley could only watch helplessly as Marcel and Vincent examined him. Antoinette was asking what was happening. Hayley wanted to hate the woman who had replaced her. But in that moment, she couldn't. Whatever other motives Antoinette may have had for anything she had done, she did love Elijah. Hayley could see that.

Vincent was giving some stupid explanation about dark magic, and Elijah's mind not even being in there. Him and Marcel were talking some nonsense about somebody taking Elijah. Why couldn't they see what had really happened? Granted, they hadn't been inside his head, they hadn't seen what she had seen. But still. They were being so blind and stupid.

She couldn't watch this, anymore. Elijah wasn't there. There was no reason for her to stick around. She opened her eyes. "Say what you want about Antoinette. Whatever her motives may have been where I was concerned… She loves him. She was willing to die to spare him from being forced to remember me. And now…" She was shaking. "He can't face it. I… I stopped him from going through the door. I stopped him. And now his mind is gone. I… I think I killed Elijah. Oh God! What have I done?"

Everyone was staring at her. "You can't kill him, Hayley. He wasn't ready to face everything, that's all. He's retreated into himself to avoid having to face this. But, he'll be okay. You'll see."

She could only nod. And pray that they were right.


	4. Two Reunions and One Final Goodbye

_**Picks up shortly after the last chapter ends. Hayley has a few hours before her werewolf funeral and decides to go deal with Jackson.**_

 _ **As always, thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews. They are very appreciated and make me want to keep writing for you all.**_

 **~Waiting for That Dance~**

It had been a roller coaster of a few days. But, Hayley had finally found time to take a deep breath. Marcel's attempt to remove the compulsion and give Elijah his memories back had failed. While there were certain problems with that fact, it did buy Hayley time to deal with her ex-husband before she had to deal with whatever remembering her did to Elijah.

She honestly wasn't all that sure it was going to be as bad as everyone seemed to think it would be. But, it was still not something she was looking forward to. Of course, she also wasn't sure she was ready to talk to Jackson, either. But, it had to be done. And the sooner, the better. Besides, doing this now put an automatic time limit on how long she could spend arguing with him. Because, she still had another funeral to watch. So, she could go deal with Jackson, and then make sure she was back home in time for her werewolf funeral.

She wasn't entirely sure where he was living, now. And the look her parents had given her when she mentioned wanting to talk to him made her decide that asking them was maybe not a great idea. She definitely got the impression that whatever plans her parents had had for her back when she was a baby, they did not really care for Jackson, now. But, neither of them would explain why.

But, there was one person who would know where Jackson was, and would be willing to tell her. And who she wanted to see, anyway. Though, she wasn't quite sure how Mary would feel about seeing her. After all, Jackson had had plenty of time to tell her what a bitch Hayley had been to him.

Mary opened the door at the first knock. "I was wondering if you were ever going to come see me."

"I'm sorry, Mary. I've had a lot to deal with."

"Which is the understatement of a lifetime." She took a step back and opened the door wider. Then started laughing when Hayley didn't walk in. "You don't actually need me to say the words, here. I appreciate your manners, but you aren't actually a vampire, anymore."

Hayley laughed at that and walked into the house. "I guess old habits die hard. It's good to see you, Mary."

"I wish I could say the same thing."

Hayley bit her lip and looked down. "I… I was horrible to Jackson, I know. But, I was in shock. I had just died. I was reeling from that. And from the last few minutes of my life. And… I know that neither of you can possibly understand this, but… Despite everything, I still love Elijah. And it wouldn't be fair to Jackson to pretend that I could ever be his wife, again."

And then Mary's arms were around her. "Not even close to what I meant, Hayley. I just meant… This is a reunion that shouldn't have happened for centuries, at the least. You should have had so much more time. Time with Hope. Time to fix things with Elijah."

Hayley pulled away and stared at her, at that. "That's the last thing I ever expected to hear you say."

Mary shrugged. "Sometimes, being dead gives you a better perspective on things. I've gotten to know quite a few… interesting people in the last few years. And, one of those interesting people was able to give me some much needed perspective on your relationship with Elijah."

Well, that was certainly… cryptic. "Who?"

"It doesn't matter. She'll come see you when she's ready. Or, more likely, ask Cami to ask you to go see her. I can't imagine her just springing herself on you unless there was a real good reason."

This did nothing to curb Hayley's curiosity. But, it was clear that Mary had no intention of telling her anything else. So, that was going to have to remain a mystery unless and until this woman decided to talk to her, herself. So, she decided to change the subject back to the main reason she was there. "How is Jackson?"

"Trying to deal with the fact that his widow isn't his, anymore. Honestly, it's ridiculous. If it was Declan you were waiting for, he'd probably be fine. He's just stupidly hurt because he hates Elijah. Honestly, if the man loved you half as much as he thinks he does, he would want you to be happy."

"Well, aren't you just full of surprises, today."

"That is a conversation for another time. Your parents have reserved the right to dish out that particular serving of tough love. And I'm going to let them take care of it. Just know… Nobody here expects anything else from you except what you already have planned. To watch over Hope, and wait for Elijah. Even Jackson knows it. And, he'll get over it, eventually."

"Thank you, Mary. I was kind of afraid that you hated me. Or at the very least that you were pissed about the way I treated Jackson when I got here."

"Not at all. You're good people, Hayley. And Jackson will get over it." She smiled. "And, I suppose you're actually here looking for him?"

"I don't know how much time I have before something else gets everyone I love reeling, and too upset for me to block. So… I figure we should probably have everything out while we have a chance."

"He's out back. He saw you coming and decided to make himself scarce."

Well, that was just perfect. "I'm not going to force him to talk to me, Mary."

Mary just shook her head. "That's not it. For once, he was trying to be respectful. Give the two of us a chance to talk without him there. He knows I love you. That you're a part of my family regardless of how you feel about him or where he stands with you. But, you're right. You and I have eternity to catch up. You need to deal with your idiot of an ex-husband while you are actually capable of logical thought. And, with a whole lot of people down there that you care about who have a distressing habit of getting into mortal peril every other damned day… How _do_ a bunch of supposed immortals spend so much time having to fight for their lives, anyway?"

Hayley had to laugh at that. "I really don't know. I'm not sure that they do, either. I guess we can just chalk it up to a thousand years being a whole lot of time to amass an army of enemies. Honestly, I wonder if the fact that they're immortal is part of the problem? Taking down the Mikaelsons would be one hell of a feather in someone's cap. You could earn quite a lot of respect and fear in the supernatural world if you could pull it off. So, of course, everyone needs to try."

"That could be it." Mary pulled her into another hug. "Go on, get this over with. And Eve is around here, somewhere. I know you liked her. When you're done arguing with my grandson, maybe you should find her."

Hayley smiled. "I'll do that." And then she took a deep breath and headed out back to where Jackson was sitting on a porch swing. She sat at the far end of the swing, still trying to keep her distance. "I wish I knew what to say to you."

"I wish I knew why everything I had to give could never be enough for you."

"Honestly? It probably would have been if I had met you first. By the time you came around… my heart was no longer mine to give. Which, sounds really strange, but I don't know how else to explain it. I was already in love with him. My heart was his."

"And he has done nothing but break it. Again and again. And you keep going back to him."

"The same thing could be said about you when it comes to me."

"That's different, Hayley."

"How? How is it different, Jackson? Because the day I was born somebody that had no fucking right dictating our lives like that decreed that I was going to be your wife? Whether either of us wanted it or not? And somehow, this decree meant that you had to put up with whatever I did to you? That you had to put up with being married to a woman who was in love with someone else? My God, Jackson! Explain to me how that is remotely fair to anybody involved?"

"I loved you! And maybe it was stupid and masochistic. But, I was willing to take what I could get. I knew. I knew from day one that all Elijah had to do was wait. I knew that the two of you were immortal and I wasn't. I knew that once I was gone, you would go back to him. I fucking knew that, Hayley!"

"Then why are you mad at me for doing it? If you knew that that would happen, then why are you mad that it did? You're not making any sense, Jackson."

"Because, I was stupid. Because I convinced myself that I could win your heart. That I could get you to love me. That… that you wouldn't want to go back to him when I was gone."

Hayley thought of the conversation she had had with Cami and Aiden. "Which, is actually pretty fucking selfish, Jackson."

"How is it selfish?"

"You said it yourself. I was supposed to be immortal. You wanted me to spend _eternity_ alone. Alone and pining for you. That isn't love, Jackson. That's an obsession." She stood up and started pacing. "The day I got here, I went out drinking with Aiden and Cami. Had an interesting discussion about what it's like being dead and in love with someone that's immortal."

"Yeah. I hear that Cami and Aiden have gone out drinking together a lot to commiserate about that. Neither of them ever thought to invite me, though."

"Maybe because they knew that what you feel for me isn't really love."

"Stop that. Stop saying that!"

"Do you know what me, Cami, and Aiden all have in common, Jackson? We all want the people we love to be happy. We all know that there's a good chance that we are waiting for someone who won't still want us when they get here. And we are all prepared to accept that. That is what love is, Jackson. It's being willing to sacrifice for the other person. It's wanting the other person to be happy, even if their happiness causes you pain."

She stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "Elijah is engaged. He doesn't remember me, doesn't remember his family. But, he's found happiness out on his own. And he's engaged. Except, Klaus had a decidedly Klaus-like moment. And in his anger and grief over my death, he's bitten Elijah's fiancee. Do you want to know what my biggest fear is, right now, Jackson?"

"What?"

"That Klaus intends to let Antoinette die. That Elijah will be put through that pain. Because I love him. And as much as it hurts to see him with her… I don't want him to spend the rest of his life alone. I guess that's the difference between me and you, though. Do what you want, Jackson. Hate me. Resent me. But don't you dare talk about wanting me to live my life alone and miserable and try to call it love."

She was done. She had tried, but it was clear that he wasn't ready to be reasonable about this. And she was supposed to be at peace. Bad enough that it was hard to be at peace when everyone she cared about was hurting, or in danger, or both. She didn't need Jackson trying to guilt trip her into going back to him on top of it. "I'm leaving. My parents will know how to find me when you're ready to be an adult about this. Until then, I have a family to watch over."

She walked back into the house, and just shook her head at Mary. "You know what? This is hardly fair for him, either. This is supposed to be Heaven, for fuck's sake. He deserves better than this. But…"

"But, you don't deserve to be tied down to him, again. Hayley, don't beat yourself up over this. He knows. He always knew. And he'll get over it. You'll see. In the meantime, go on. Go see Eve. She'll be… well, not happy to see you. It's hard to be happy when someone dies, even if that means that we get our friends back. But, you know what I mean."

Hayley laughed. "I do know." She hugged her. "I love you, Mary. I'm sorry that things couldn't be different."

"Don't ever apologize for falling in love, Hayley. Not even to Jackson. In the end, love is the only thing that really matters. Up here, nobody cares if you were a human, a witch, a werewolf, a vampire, or some combination. What matters is feelings. Even your friend Diego, who has more reason to hate werewolves than almost anyone else I know, can see past the old labels, here."

"And here, he was worried that the wolves wouldn't accept me because of being a hybrid. Made a point of telling me I still had a family among the vampires."

Mary smiled. "Well, just because he can see past them, that doesn't mean he completely trusts us to also see past them. Nothing wrong with him wanting to look out for his own." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Speaking of Diego, what else did he tell you?"

"If you're asking if I know that he's dating Gia… Yes, I know. I'm happy for them. And honestly… it gave me hope. Maybe now that Jackson knows that things can't ever go back to the way they were for us, maybe he can finally move on and find someone. He deserves to be happy, too."

"Yeah. Maybe. Now! Why are you still here? Go on, get out of here. You have a friend your own age to track down!"

Hayley giggled. "Yes ma'am."

 **~Waiting for That Dance~**

Eve was sitting on the pier, dangling her legs in the water. When she saw Hayley, she gasped and jumped up. "Hayley? No! You're supposed to be immortal. I wasn't expecting to see you for _centuries._ What happened?"

Hayley cocked her head inquisitively. "You don't know?"

Eve shook her head. "No. I learned how to block everything, and… I don't watch. Your parents keep me updated on the big things. And, whenever someone new dies I get to hear a lot of stories about everyone. But, for the most part, I try to distance myself from my old life. I can't do anything about any of it, anyway. So, I feel like a voyeur watching people. But, nobody told me you had died."

Hayley sat down next to where Eve had been sitting, and gestured for her friend to sit, as well. "I guess things have been a little too crazy since I died for anyone to think to tell you about it. Between dealing with me, and Hope being a total wreck…"

"No. They definitely had other things on their minds. Makes sense that telling me was the least of their concerns."

"So, how much do you know?"

Eve gave a rueful laugh. "I know about Elijah having his memories erased, and everything leading up to that. If you don't mind talking about it… how did you die?"

"Kind of a long story. Short story is that a witch cast some kind of spell to bind my werewolf side, making me a regular vampire. There was a bitch vampire who wanted me and Hope both dead. I ripped her Daylight Ring off and yanked her outside. Burned to death in the sun."

"Is… is Hope okay?"

"She's fine. At least physically. Emotionally… her mother just died. There's a weird vampire cult out there that wants her dead… You know, normal Mikaelson stuff." Dear God, the things that passed for normal, around here.

"Okay, enough of that. I shouldn't have made you rehash your death. I'm guessing you've met your parents?"

Hayley smiled. "I have. And they're wonderful. They've been so supportive. There's a lot we haven't had a chance to talk about, yet, but… My dad actually said he was proud of me. It's weird how much that meant to me."

"They're good people. And they love you and Hope very much. They watch you a lot. I guess they always have." Her expression darkened. "And what about Jackson? Have you talked to him, yet?"

"What is with everyone and Jackson, anyway?"

"I can only speak for myself, of course. But… let's just say that he has definitely been rubbing me the wrong way ever since he got here. We can talk about that later, though. Have you talked to him?"

"Yeah. He was the one to meet me, because my dad didn't want me to be alone, and was worried about what springing him and my mom on me would do. Jackson… seems to think that we're still married. He's having a very hard time understanding that in the end I chose Elijah."

"There you go. That, right there, is everyone's problem with him. Even now, even here, he hates Elijah. Thinks you still belong to him, somehow. He's a good man, in general. But, the way he treats you… He was possessive and controlling when you were alive. And he's trying to be possessive and controlling, now. But, I've said enough. Your father…"

Hayley laughed. "Wants to dish out that particular serving of tough love himself. Yeah… Mary said the same thing. Which makes me very curious. I'm almost afraid of things calming down enough to be able to have that particular talk."

"Don't be. He loves you, and wants you to be happy. We're calling it tough love, but you aren't in trouble with him. You'll see."

But then, Hayley's phone buzzed. It still made her laugh that cars and cell phones were somehow still things, up here. She idly wondered if planes were, too. She hadn't seen any in the sky, so maybe not. It made her kind of curious if people just didn't move around that much, or if they had some other way to travel long distances. But, after looking at the text from her mother, she sighed. "Eve, I'm sorry for having to cut this short. But… my funeral is about to start and… I feel like I should be there for Hope."

They both stood up. "Of course. I'll stop by your parents' house in a few days. We can talk more then."

Hayley hugged her and then turned and started running back to the cabin.

 **~Waiting for That Dance~**

"What the hell is he _doing_? He's going to get everyone killed."

Klaus was there, not just standing right next to Hope, but holding her hand. As if there wasn't some impossibly evil, extremely powerful entity that was just begging for a chance to jump from him to his daughter.

Cami closed her eyes for a minute. When she opened them again, she looked surprised. "Basically, he's an idiot. And not for the reasons you're probably calling him one. He's blaming himself for how horribly your New Orleans funeral went. It would take too long to explain. But, he needs to be here for her, right now. He'll leave before things get too bad."

And so, they stood there and they watched as those closest to Hayley said one final goodbye. All except one. The one who was going to most _need_ this closure, eventually. But, Marcel's compulsion hadn't worked. Elijah still didn't remember her.

And so, he had missed both of her funerals. Missed his chance to say goodbye. And Hayley couldn't help feeling like that was her fault. If she hadn't shouted out to him, telling him to stop, would he have opened that door? She would never know.

And then, what was left of Hayley's body was set on fire, again, and pushed out into the water. Eventually, Klaus and Hope were the only ones left watching it. Until the water itself caught on fire. The Hollow. First Hayley's New Orleans funeral was invaded by Greta's cult. And now, the Hollow was insinuating herself into this. Couldn't they all just leave Hope to mourn her in peace?

"You can't let it reach the land."

And then Klaus was gone, and Hope was alone. Alone except for the four people she couldn't see. Two of which, she had never even met.

Hayley instinctively reached out to put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. But instead, it went right through her. And that was it. She couldn't take any more.

She opened her eyes in her parents' living room. "How do I block them out?"


	5. Memories and Guilt

_**Whoo boy! This is it, the chapter I had been dreading ever since I got the idea to write this fic. Elijah getting his memories back. Time for a whole lot of angst.**_

 _ **As always, thank you for your favorites, follows, and reviews. They are greatly appreciated.**_

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Watching her werewolf funeral was almost peaceful. This was the send-off she had wanted. Granted, Klaus risking destroying the city to be there for Hope was… both oddly endearing and enough to make her want to strangle him. It wouldn't do any good, even if she had hands to strangle him with, but it was a fun thought.

At some point, while Hayley had been visiting Mary and Eve and dealing with Jackson, her friends had all scattered to do their own things. Which was just as well. Dealing with her was probably not exactly easy. She had a feeling that it had reminded them of their own deaths. And Diego, at least, had a girlfriend to get back to. Gia probably wasn't all that happy about her current boyfriend spending so much time with her ex-boyfriend's… whatever the hell Hayley was to Elijah, these days. Even Cami had been watching Hayley's funeral from her own apartment, while Hayley had been in her parents' cabin.

But, it had been a few hours since she had been bombarded with pain and heartache from her family. Since she had blocked them out. It wasn't true peace. Not yet. Not knowing that there was still so much more pain to come. But, it was a start. A chance to take a breath. And she didn't even feel guilty about it. It was like Eve had said, there wasn't a damned thing she could do about anything, anyway. Her misguided attempt to comfort Hope had driven that home. She was dead. And maybe it was time she let herself enjoy her afterlife, and leave her family to mourn her without her attempts to interfere.

She wasn't watching them. Didn't know what was going on down there, what Hope had done. And so, when the rug got pulled out from under her, she wasn't prepared. Not that it mattered. Nothing could have prepared her for what was coming.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley felt like her world was exploding. There was no other description for the searing pain that was even worse than her own death had been. She caught her mother's concerned eyes and was only able to gasp out one word, "Elijah" before falling to her knees in agony. What the hell was going on down there?

And then somebody grabbed hold of her. "Shhh. It's going to be okay, Hayley. He'll be okay. He'll be okay."

She had no idea who it could be. The voice was feminine, but that was all she could figure out, right now. Not through the fog Elijah's pain was casting in her brain. And, for all the words of encouragement, she felt tears falling onto her head. Whoever the woman was, she was there because she felt this, too.

Everything going on around her was a blur. Hardly anything could get through the wall of pain. Pain and… something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. But, it was that unidentifiable something that first made it percolate through her brain that this wasn't physical pain, but emotional.

Her first thought was Klaus. Which was stupid. First of all, if something had happened to Klaus, she would be getting slammed from every direction as Elijah, Freya, Rebekah, and _Hope_ all tried to deal with it. Not to mention, would it even have any effect on Elijah? The attempt to give him his memories back hadn't worked. He had no feelings for Klaus whatsoever, right now. No, wait. Actually, she was getting something from Klaus. And from Rebekah and Marcel. Nowhere near what Elijah was feeling, but there.

And then the obvious answer hit her. Antoinette. Antoinette, who was dying of a werewolf bite. How long did it take to die? Had Klaus really just let her die? Had he really put Elijah through that? Why? The man could be a monster, but after his reason for not wanting Elijah to get his memories back, Hayley was pretty confident that he wouldn't let his brother go through that. Unless, it worked faster than he was expecting, and Antoinette died before he could get his blood to her. And Klaus and Marcel watching Elijah go through that could explain what she was picking up from them. But, where did Rebekah come in? She was in New York, wasn't she? She would certainly never come to New Orleans. Not while Hope was there. Certainly not while Klaus was there. What the hell was going on?

But, then there was another hand on her back. And Cami's voice filtered through the fog. "Elijah just got his memories back."

Her. This was about her. Dear God. Had there really been times when she had doubted his love for her? She had been so stupid. And now it was too late. And all she could do was cling to the mystery woman. And bite her lip to keep from screaming as Elijah's pain, grief, and guilt over her death slammed into her again and again.

She wanted to be there, even though he wouldn't know it. But, she couldn't collect her thoughts enough to be able to concentrate. At least not on anything other than the pain.

There was another voice. Male, this time. And one she didn't recognize at all. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I really don't know. Elijah is a mess, right now. And she's getting the worst of it. And I really don't know what to do for her. And…"

And then the arms that had been around Hayley were gently lifted away, replaced by a group hug from Cami and her parents. She still had no idea who else was in the room with them. She still wasn't sure she cared. She tried to block the pain out, but it was too raw, too sharp. Just… too much. She was starting to honestly wonder if Elijah was going to survive this.

But, eventually, she was able to focus. She concentrated on Elijah, and found herself in a place she didn't recognize. Elijah wasn't alone. Klaus, Marcel, Rebekah, and Kol were with him. What the hell were all four of them doing together, anyway? If Klaus being with Hope was dangerous, this was exponentially more so. Except, nothing bad seemed to be happening.

Or, at least, nothing Hollow related seemed to be happening. Elijah was sitting in what looked like a church pew, sobbing. And everyone else was standing there, watching him. It seemed that they didn't know what to do for him any more than she did. Another look around the room showed her that Elijah wasn't the only one crying. The others weren't as bad as he was. After all, they had all had their chance to mourn her. They were crying for him, now. Even Kol had tears streaming down his face. Somehow, that made it worse. Somehow, even more than the fact that she had felt it right along with him, seeing Kol crying for Elijah drove it home just how much Elijah was hurting, right now.

Hayley knelt in front of Elijah. She wanted to take him into her arms, hold him, and tell him that she was okay, and everything was going to be all right. But, she already knew that she couldn't do that. She had tried with Hope. She couldn't touch them. They couldn't see her, couldn't hear her. She put her hand up to his face, being careful not to get close enough to go through him. She didn't need the reminder of just how useless she was. "I love you, Elijah. I love you with all my heart. And I'll be waiting for you. Always and forever."

She stood up, took one last look around at her family. "I love all of you. Thank you for everything. For being the closest thing to a real family I have ever had. Take care of my baby. And I'll see you all again, some day." And then she opened her eyes.

And gasped at the woman standing a few feet away from her. Just as there had been just enough similarities between her and her mother for her to recognize her, the woman standing in her parents' living room had enough of both Rebekah and Freya to make it obvious who she was. "Esther?"

Not that she was quite done being shocked. Because the man with his arms around Esther reminded her a lot of Klaus. "And Ansel."

Klaus's parents - both of them - were standing here watching her. And then the implications of Esther being here hit her. She had felt that. Had felt Elijah's pain. And had come here, to Hayley. Not only did she actually care about her children, probably more than they had realized, but her first instinct had been to try to comfort Hayley.

"You… Both of you… But… How? Why?"

"I do love my children, Hayley. I had a pretty horrible way of showing it, sometimes. But, I do love them. I stood by Klaus's side and watched you die. We both did. I wanted to see you when you got here. The woman that one of my sons loves with all of his heart, and another has come to think of as a sister. The mother of the granddaughter that I have no right to ever ask to think of me as her grandmother. But, as much as I wanted to see you, I didn't want to make this harder for you than it already was."

"As for me, I live in the bayou. I've gotten to be pretty good friends with your parents, actually. But, while there isn't the bad blood between us like there is between you and Esther… You had your own problems to deal with. I did watch your funeral, though. Both of them. I was there for Klaus and Hope. So was Esther."

"I didn't see either of you there."

"No, you wouldn't have. Don't try to understand how any of that works. But, we were there, Hayley. And, we're here for you, now. Though, neither of us would ever want to force ourselves on you."

"Me, especially. I would understand if you want me gone. But, know that I do love my children. I do love Hope. And I love you."

Hayley actually smiled. "You came here. Your son was going through Hell, and your first thought was what that had to be doing to me. This is supposed to be Heaven, Esther. If I can't forgive you when you ask for it, here, then… I don't really deserve to be here, do I?"

Esther smiled and hugged her. "I just wish my idiot son hadn't erased his memories of you. You were good for him. The two of you could have had something really special."

Hayley looked back and forth between Esther and Ansel. "Speaking of which, are you two together, now?"

"Yes and no. I mostly stay in Norway, with Dahlia. Trying to give her the life we would have had. Though, Finn is there, now. I chose a man over my sister once before. And my children paid the price for that. Freya paid the price for that. Niklaus… Elijah… the price they paid for my sister's anger at me is more than I can bear thinking about. Even you ended up paying a price for it. But… I made a promise to her when we died. And, this time, I'm doing my best to keep it. Ansel and I visit each other, but… I'm putting my sister first."

Hayley could only nod. "Kind of sucks that even here, you can't be together."

Ansel shrugged. "We have eternity. Eventually, Dahlia will feel less abandoned. And then Esther can have both. You of all people should be able to understand my willingness to be patient."

Hayley thought of Elijah, and of just how long she might end up waiting for him. "Yeah. I guess I can."

And then Esther hugged her, again. "You have had a rough couple of days. So, Ansel and I are going to go and let you get some rest. Your parents will know how to reach me if and when you ever want to talk."

And then they were gone, leaving Hayley with her parents and Cami.

"They're right. Get some sleep. Knowing the Mikaelsons, something else we're not going to be able to block out is gonna pop up. Get some rest and peace while you can." And with that, Cami hugged her and walked out.

"Would you two hate me if I took their advice and just went to sleep for… a few days? So far, my being at peace has not exactly been all that peaceful."

Her parents both hugged her. "Good night, Hayley. We'll see you when you've had a chance to rest."

Rest. Dear God, how she needed some damn rest. Because Cami was right. Knowing her family, things were going to get bad, again.


	6. The meetings of the exes

**_Okay, this chapter is pretty short. Hayley watching the conversation Elijah has with Declan. Next chapter will be longer, probably MUCH longer._**

 ** _As always, thank you for reading, and for the likes, comments, and follows._**

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley wanted to scream. She was getting used to the grief. Even Elijah's pain could be mostly blocked out, once the initial waves of it had subsided. Hope's anger was something else, entirely. It wasn't particularly intense, but it was hard to ignore. And Hayley found herself wondering how much of it was really Hope, and how much was that _thing_ living inside her.

She also found herself weirdly frustrated by how much of Hope's anger was directed at Elijah. Yes, if Elijah hadn't been there, Klaus and Caroline would have been able to save her. But, there was another issue. One that Hope seemed to be ignoring. Hayley sighed and called Cami. "I need some insight, I think. Hope is driving me insane, right now."

Half an hour later, Cami was pouring drinks for herself and Hayley, while she tried to explain what might be going on in the mind of a fifteen-year-old insanely powerful witch who was going through Hell. "She knows that it's as much her fault as Elijah's, Hayley. Honestly, deep down inside she knows that it's _more_ her fault than Elijah's. She needs somebody to blame. She needs an external focal point. Especially with the Hollow inside her. She's blaming Elijah because that's easier than dealing with her own feelings of guilt."

"You know, the worst part of being dead is that there's nothing I can do for them. I can't tell Hope that it's going to be okay, that I forgive her and she needs to forgive herself. I can't tell Elijah that I still love him, that I'm here, waiting for him. All I can do is watch and try not to throw things when they drive me nuts."

"I would say that you get used to it, but… There are still times that I wish I could take Klaus in my arms and tell him that everything is going to be okay. Right now, I want to do the same for Hope, too. You're right. That is the worst part. I can deal with all the things I'm never going to do. It's not being able to be there for the people I care about that hurts." She smiled. "But, at least I can be there for you. Put my old Psych degree to use helping you cope with your death and everything that comes with it." And then she froze, and closed her eyes for a second. "Shit! Hayley, I know you're trying to stay away, but you might want to take a look at this."

"Which one?"

"Elijah. And Declan."

Something about the way she said that seemed… off. And then it hit her. Elijah and Declan were both in the same place. This was probably not going to be good. Would either of them realize their connection to each other? She sighed and then closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for her to realize that Elijah knew exactly who Declan was. What the hell was he doing?! Not that it mattered. Because right about then was when Declan pulled a ring out of his pocket. He had been planning on proposing to her? He was right, though. She would have turned him down. She tried to tell herself that that was only because of her not actually being human. But, if she was being honest with herself, it was because of Elijah. And because she never noticed when Declan found out about her death. No, she had never really loved him. He was just someone she was biding her time with while she waited for Freya and Vincent to fix things so she could get Elijah back.

She opened her eyes. "I really need another drink."

"You all right?"

"You ever have a moment of clarity that makes you kind of hate yourself?"

Cami's response was to pour Hayley a rather large glass of whiskey. "So, what horrible thing did you learn about yourself while watching your ex-boyfriends talking?"

Hayley downed half the glass of whiskey before answering. "That I was basically using Declan to fill a void until Elijah came back to me." She sighed. "But, I guess I owe it to him to keep watching. Elijah knows who he is. I'm just waiting for him to slip and Declan to realize who Elijah is. This is not going to be fun."

She closed her eyes. The look of pain on Elijah's face when Declan mentioned how much her ex had hurt her was gut-wrenching. Yes, he knew. And he knew that he was the ex. That he had hurt her. She wasn't sure she could take this. But, she owed it to both of them to keep watching. Eventually, when Elijah finally got here, they were going to have to have a long talk. But, for now, all she could do was stand there and watch. And try to resist the urge to wrap her arms around him. Not that she really could.

And then Declan figured it out, right before Hope walked in. And immediately started making accusations. And Hayley found herself wanting to smack her. Yes, she was grieving. Yes, she had these voices in her head making her lash out. But, Hayley's death wasn't Elijah's fault. And she needed to stop blaming him. Honestly, what she needed to do was start taking some responsibility for her own actions.

Maybe Hayley wasn't being fair. But, Hope was too old and too powerful to keep being coddled. She threw a temper tantrum, that ended up resulting in Hayley's death. And now, with even more power at her disposal, she was here, throwing yet another temper tantrum. And it needed to stop. And there wasn't a damned thing Hayley could do about it.

Except watch, as her daughter threw the love of her life around the bar like a rag doll. Until Klaus walked in, and Hope finally calmed down and left. Only for Declan to wake up and ask what was going on. Well, if anyone could make him forget what just happened, it was Elijah and Klaus. There was that, at least.

Klaus followed Hope, leaving Elijah to deal with Declan. Fitting, really. Hope needed her father, and Elijah needed to make things right with Declan, somehow. Hayley watched as he tried to explain everything. She wiped away her tears as Elijah reassured Declan that Hayley had loved him. As he compelled him to forget what had happened that night, and to remember that she had loved him, and to be at peace.

She opened her eyes. "I don't deserve him. Even after everything, his biggest concern is making sure that Declan is okay."

Cami just smiled. "Elijah loves you. And he knows that you would want Declan to be okay, to move on with his life. He's just trying to help."

"I know." And then she gasped as another emotion hit her. Through the whole thing with Elijah and Declan she kept picking up things from Freya, Vincent, and Keelin. Fear, mostly, some pain and grief. This one was different. Almost unrecognizable. Something she hadn't picked up from anybody since she had died. Happiness. She closed her eyes and focused on Freya. And got there just in time to watch her put an engagement ring on Keelin's finger. It was about damn time, really.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to smile at Cami. "Freya and Keelin just got engaged. Finally, something good happened for my family. I was starting to feel like it was just going to be an eternity of death and destruction for all of them."

"Even the Mikaelsons have always had their bright days, Hayley. You were actually a big part of that. I'd like to think that I brought some joy to Klaus at least once in a while before I died. Hope helped when she was around. It hasn't always been death and destruction. And it won't always be from now on, either. They'll still have their bright days. Yeah, there is also going to be that shadow hanging over it, especially for Elijah and Hope, that you won't be there to share it. But, they'll have their bright days. At the very least, someday Hope is going to fall in love, get married, give Klaus grandchildren to spoil."

Hayley had to laugh at that. "Oh God! Can you imagine Klaus as a grandfather? Though… Speaking of spoiling children… Rebekah is going to love that. It will be all Hope can do to get that woman to go home once in a while."

"Exactly. And we'll be here, watching it. Happiness is an emotion, too. We'll be there for all of it."

Hayley could only nod and finish her whiskey. There was no doubt that there were still far too many dark times ahead of her family. But, Cami was right. They would have their bright days, too. And it looked like the first one would be Freya's wedding. The thought was bittersweet. Elijah was back. Hayley should have gotten to dance with him. That wedding should have been the dance she was still waiting for. But, she could still be there, even if nobody knew that she was. It would be nice to see her family all in one place, and having something to celebrate.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Not that she actually had time to celebrate. Cami had just poured them some wine for a toast when the door opened and a voice Hayley hadn't heard in over a decade brought her ability to think to a screeching halt. "Hayley, I had hoped to find you here. Though, if you don't want me here, I understand."

Cami looked even more shocked than Hayley felt. "What made you suddenly decide that you needed to see Hayley? Seriously, Gia. Has she not been through enough, lately?"

"I know that Diego has been here to see her. But, more to the point, I know how bad things got down there - especially for Elijah."

Hayley turned around to look at the woman that Elijah had once tried to replace her with. She wanted to hate her. After the way Elijah had flaunted their relationship in her face like he was trying to punish her for doing exactly what he told her to do, exactly what she had wanted him to tell her not to do. But, looking at Gia, Hayley couldn't help but remember the price she had paid for being dragged into that little bit of relationship drama. And Hayley knew better than anyone what burning to death felt like. No, Gia hadn't deserved that.

And so, she smiled. "Yeah. Things got pretty bad. Elijah is still not in a very good place. Hope might even be worse. But! Right now, we were actually getting ready to celebrate! Freya just got engaged. I don't know if you ever really got to know her? But, she became my best friend over these past seven years. And it's good to have something good happen to them for once. Care to join us?"

Gia looked downright relieved, which convinced Hayley that she had done the right thing. "I'd like that. Thank you." She took the seat next to Hayley. "I was afraid that you would hate me. After everything with Elijah, I wouldn't blame you."

Hayley shrugged. "Not going to lie, I kind of wish I did hate you. I want to hate you for replacing me. But… That wasn't exactly your fault. And you've already paid for it, horribly. Nobody knows better than me the price you paid. If you don't hate me for being the real reason that happened to you, then why should I hate you?"

Cami poured another glass of wine for Gia. "Before you two start playing that game, maybe we should have our toast? Let Gia get some alcohol in her before she has the 'who should hate who and why' talk?"

They all raised their glasses, but it was Hayley who spoke. "To life going on. To getting to be there for the good as well as the bad. And to true love conquering all."

"To love." They all clinked their glasses together and drank. "You know, life really is kind of funny. I mean… Here we all are. All of us promised immortality, and all of us dead long before we would have been if we had never met the Mikaesons and become 'immortal'. And me… I met the love of my life after I died. The second time. And, I'm now sitting here, drinking with my ex-boyfriend's other ex-girlfriend. And does this ever actually make sense?"

Hayley laughed. "Are you asking me if this ever makes sense? I have no idea. I've only been dead for a few days. But, so far, I have gotten into two arguments with my ex-husband, bonded with the woman who tried to murder my daughter, gone drinking with my ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend, and who can remember what else?"

"Wait! Slow down! You bonded with _who_?!"

"Esther Mikaelson. Except… that was never actually her last name, was it? Okay, doesn't matter. But, yeah. When Elijah got his memories back. I don't know if you saw that, or felt it. But, it was… bad. Esther came to try to help me deal with it. We talked. She apologized. Told me that she loves her children, and Hope, and even me. Called Elijah an idiot for letting me go, and told me that me and him had something really special." And then she remembered just who she was talking to. "Sorry. That was cold."

"No. Not at all. I know that I was just a rebound for him. I think that at the time I was naive enough to think that he could come to actually love me. But… I was one of the few selfish things Elijah ever did in his life. He used me to try to make you jealous and punish you. Maybe if I didn't have Diego, I'd be pissed. But… Yeah, dying over that sucked. And you know how painful my death was. But, I'm okay, now. And we're okay. I still care about him. Which is how I know how much remembering you hurt him. But, I'm with Diego, and I'm happy. And, Esther is right. After everything, you and Elijah kept going back to each other. I have a feeling that you'll somehow even find your way back to each other, again. Would I have happily danced at your wedding had the three of us still all been alive? Fuck no. But, will I be happy for you when he finds his way back to you, now? Absolutely."

"You are way more forgiving than I think I could be."

Gia raised an eyebrow at that. "Says the woman who has been bonding with the woman who tried to murder her daughter."

Hayley laughed. "Good point. More wine please, Cami." And once they all had a new drink in front of them, she raised her glass. "To putting the past behind us. And to friendships we never would have thought possible when we were alive."

"I will certainly drink to that."

"So, you weren't upset about how much time Diego spent with me when I first got here? I was worried about that. Especially considering our relationships with Elijah."

"Not at all. I trust him. And I know that you belong to Elijah. You were going through Hell. I could hardly fault him for wanting to help you. And, the factions may be mostly non-existent, here, but… Diego still considers himself the welcoming committee for former vampires. His leadership skills and compassion are what drew me to him. I can hardly complain when those things sometimes take him away from me. It would be hypocritical." She stood up. "But, speaking of Diego, I should get back to him. I just wanted to see you, and let you know that as far as I'm concerned, we're okay. If you ever want to hang out, I'll be around."

And before Hayley or Cami could get a word out, she was gone.

"That was certainly interesting."

"Yes it was. How do you really feel about it, though?"

"Honestly? Relieved. I knew that I was going to have to talk to her, eventually. I'm glad to get it over with, and that it actually went well. I was afraid that she would hate me. After all, Jackson does."

"Jackson doesn't hate you. He's hurt, because he got this idea in his head of the two of you still being together. But he doesn't hate you."

"It sure seems like he hates me. And the worst part is that I'm not sure that I care."

"I could say quite a lot about Jackson Kenner. But… That is probably a conversation for another time."

"It seems that everyone has a lot they can say about him. Even his own grandmother is fed up with him."

"There you have it. If even Mary is on your side, it's a pretty safe bet that you didn't do anything wrong."

"I guess. But, I'm kind of drained, right now. Between Hope's anger, watching Elijah talking to Declan, and dealing with Gia, I… think that sleep would be good."

"Go on, get out of here. I'll give you my opinions, both personal and professional, on your ex-husband another time."

Hayley laughed and shook her head. "I'll see you later, Cami."


	7. Welcome Home, Josh

**_This one was almost as hard to write as Elijah getting his memories back. I love Josh, and cried my eyes out when he died. I'm not sure I really did him justice, here._**

 ** _Anyway, as always, thank you for the likes, comments, and follows. They are always appreciated._**

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley opened her eyes to stare at her parents. She was really starting to wish she hadn't decided to check in on Hope. Granted, at least she had stopped taking everything out on Elijah, at least for the time being. But still. What she intended to do to Roman was a little sickening.

And there wasn't a damn thing Hayley could do about it. So, why keep watching? Why stand there and watch her little girl fall more and more under the Hollow's control? Because Hayley could see what Klaus apparently couldn't. The violence wasn't helping Hope. It was making the voices stop, but that was because it was bringing her closer to the Hollow, not because it was making the Hollow go away.

"Do I dare ask what's got you looking like that?"

"Oh, I'm watching my fifteen year old daughter turn into a monster. It's a little terrifying. Because if she's like this now, what happens when she activates her curse? What happens when she dies and turns into a vampire? That thing is destroying her. And her idiot father is helping it, because he can't see what's really happening, here."

"See, this is why I don't bother to look. Ever. I used to. And then I just got frustrated by all the things I couldn't help, anyway."

Hayley smiled at Eve. "I'm definitely seeing the wisdom in your way of doing things. I wish I could bring myself to do the same thing. But I can't." She looked around the room. It seemed that the gang was all here, again. Well, not Diego, who was likely with Gia. Unless there had been another vampire death she wasn't aware of and he was helping them cope.

"Klaus is doing the best he can, Hayley. You know that he would never willingly or knowingly hurt Hope. He's trying to help make the voices go away. It hasn't clicked that the reason the voices stop when she's being violent is because that's what the Hollow wants."

"I know. I need to just stay away for a bit. So, what brings you guys all here?"

"You're not the only one wishing you hadn't decided to check in on someone. Josh is flirting with a really cute guy, and I could use a drink. But, when I called Cami to see if she wanted to meet at Rousseau's she told me that she was coming here, because Klaus is an idiot and you might need some moral support."

"And I was hoping that things had calmed down enough for you to want to go do something fun. I guess I should know better with your family, right?"

"I'm sorry, Eve. I feel like I'm a horrible friend, right now."

"Come on now. It's your family. Even if you can't do anything for them, of course you want to be as there for them as you can. We have eternity to catch up. Even your family has their downtime, once in a while. You and I will catch up when things are less crazy. It's okay."

Hayley could only nod. Things were so hard for her, right now. She wanted to be everywhere at once. But, nobody that she talked to had figured out how to do that. But, she wanted to look after Hope, and she wanted to be with Elijah.

Elijah. She sighed when she thought of him. After that bout of horrendous grief and pain, he buried everything. Even managed to bury his own pain so deeply that he was able to help Declan through his. If Hayley didn't know him as well as she did, she might have been hurt by it. But, she knew that he was just doing what he needed to do to get through this. The thought of Elijah Mikaelson being completely consumed by grief was actually terrifying. What the Hollow was doing through Hope was nothing compared to the death and destruction he was capable of. She knew that. Nobody knew it better than she did. Nobody had ever been as deep inside his head as she had. Nobody else had ever looked inside him, seen what was behind the red door that he used as a barrier between his sanity and the worst parts of himself.

No, what others might take as him getting over her death awfully quick, she knew was just him tossing the worst of his pain behind that red door so that he could function. And she was actually grateful for that door's existence, right now. She didn't want him to be in pain. She wanted him to be able to move on. To let himself be happy. And the man that had huddled on that church pew, in so much pain that it broke through Hayley's block and left _her_ an incoherent mess, could never have done that.

But, time for reflection was over. Suddenly, Aiden swore. "Shit! No! Dear God… No…"

"Aiden? What's wrong?"

"Josh… Oh God… Josh…"

Hayley lowered the block she had put up to keep her family from driving her crazy. And got slammed. Pain, fear and grief from Josh. And grief, regret, and a touch of self-hatred from Marcel? No… Not Josh. Please, no. She closed her eyes and concentrated on Josh and Marcel.

And found herself in what looked like an empty warehouse. Josh was laying on the stairs, Marcel hovering over him, bodies scattered around the room. But, what would have stopped Hayley's heart if that was still possible were the mask by the chair - and the syringe laying at Marcel's feet. She knew what that mask was for, Freya had used something very similar on Keelin. Which meant that she knew what had been in that syringe. Josh was dying. And from the look of him, there wasn't time to get the cure for him.

She opened her eyes. Aiden was still hunched over, in obvious pain. She understood. As much as she cared for Josh, had come to think of him almost like a brother, she wasn't getting the full force of his pain. For Aiden, this was what she would be going through if it was Elijah. "Aiden, you need to try to pull yourself together. There's nothing anyone down there can do for him. You need to be there for him when he gets home." She heard Cami's gasp behind her, but her attention was on Aiden.

Eventually, he nodded and stood up. "I… I have to go. Josh is… Josh is coming home, and I have to be there." There were tears streaming down his face that he wiped away. "And I need to get myself together. I can't let him see me like this. He's the one that just died. He's going to need me to be strong for him. I… I'll see you guys later."

"Give Josh my love, and tell him that I'd love to see him when he's ready?"

"I'll do that." And then he turned and walked out, leaving the others to stare after him.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Josh could only hope that he wasn't too late to help Marcel. If something horrible happened to his friend, because he had been too busy flirting with some guy to even read his text messages, he would never forgive himself. No, Marcel couldn't die. Might even be closer to being truly immortal than the Mikaelsons, but considering it was a human who coined the phrase "you'd be surprised what you can live through", that wasn't exactly reassuring. Marcel couldn't die. But he could be made to wish that he could.

At first glance, the warehouse seemed empty. And then a peek around a pillar showed him that it wasn't quite. Marcel was strapped to a chair, some kind of mask on with tubes leading down to a flask. Josh's stomach flipped as he realized what was happening. They were extracting his venom. The hybrid venom that could kill an Original, could even kill Klaus. He didn't stop to consider how they had straps that could hold Marcel Gerard. Didn't stop to question the circle drawn around him. Didn't stop to realize that they had to have a witch.

Marcel saw him, then, and shook his head at him. "No. Josh. Don't. No."

He took one more step, only to find himself stopped. And then his vampire hearing caught movement behind him. In less than a second he was behind the man. He snapped his neck, and ripped his throat out for good measure.

An act that seemed to break the spell on the chains holding Marcel. He broke free, and Josh helped him get up.

But, they had only taken a couple steps before they found themselves surrounded. Not that it really mattered. With the witch that had been helping them dead, Emmett's vampires were no match for Marcel. The fight was over quick. Within seconds, Josh and Marcel were the only ones left standing.

But, there was no time for celebration. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The pain in his chest wouldn't let him stand up straight.

"What is it?"

"Huh?" Even with his hand wrapped around the thing causing the pain, it didn't quite register what was going on.

Marcel walked over to him. "Josh, what's wrong?"

He forced himself to stand. To yank the offending piece of metal out of his chest. He and Marcel realized what it was and what it meant at the same moment. He looked from the syringe in his hand to Marcel. "Well, that can't be good. Right?"

Marcel grabbed him. Helped him onto the stairs he had been clinging to. "Hey. Come here. Sit down. Lie back."

"Marcel."

"I'll call Freya."

There wasn't time to call Freya. He knew that. He had been stabbed in the heart. He only had a few minutes left. "Marcel."

"No. I'm going to get the cure."

"Marcel!" It wasn't a yell. He didn't have the strength for a yell. But, he hoped that his tone of voice would get through to his friend.

Except it didn't. "Try to hold still so the poison won't move through your system." He sounded angry, like he thought that Josh was being obstinate just to annoy him.

"It's already in my heart. You've got to believe me, okay?" _Please. I need you to believe me. Because if you leave me here, even long enough to call Freya, I'm going to die alone. And I don't want to die alone._

Marcel's face changed, then. His grief showing, and Josh realized that he had simply been in denial the whole time. He had known. But was trying to pretend he didn't, hoping that if he refused to believe it, it wouldn't be true. "I leave town for a few years, and suddenly you know everything?"

Josh tried to laugh. It was as weak as the rest of him. "I always knew everything. I just played dumb so you'd put up with me. Hey, you uh… You remember the first day we met?" Taking a walk down memory lane probably seemed like a strange thing to do when he was dying. But, there were things he needed to say. And he was running out of time to say them.

"Yeah, you wouldn't pick up that coin. Even if it meant you died, you wouldn't betray your friend."

"Luckily for me, you've got your whole loyalty thing. And, uh. I know that that's the only reason you spared me that day." Marcel was shaking his head, but Josh didn't need false reassurances. What was going through Marcel's mind that fateful day fifteen years ago wasn't important, anymore. What mattered was the here and now. "But now, you are my family."

"Same." That wasn't a false reassurance. It was there in his eyes.

But, everything hurt, now. He had said what he needed to say. It was time to let go. He tilted his head back, and Marcel seemed to understand what he needed, because he bent down. Josh lifted his head just enough to be able to kiss his friend on the cheek. And then he closed his eyes.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. But, he certainly wasn't expecting to find himself in Marcel's living room, watching his friend talking to his own corpse while he drank.

"You know, it's funny you brought up my whole loyalty thing. Truth is, you were always more loyal than I was. To your friends. To the city. To what you believed. Yeah. Rest in peace, my friend."

Josh sat on the arm of the couch, intending… he didn't know what. Maybe to try to let Marcel know that he was there, that he had heard him. But, he didn't get a chance to even try. Because that was when there was a flash of bright light. And everything changed.

He was standing in the middle of a forest, with what looked like a really old station wagon heading towards him. When the car stopped, he walked over to it, curious. It took him a few minutes to believe his eyes. Aiden was there. Smiling at him. It couldn't be real, could it? And yet… he had just died. If there was a Heaven, maybe he had somehow deserved it. "Aiden." It was all he could get his brain working enough to say.

But, Aiden seemed to understand. Which made sense. He would have gone through something like this, himself. He just reached over and opened the passenger door. "Get in."

Josh got into the car and closed the door behind him. And then just sat there, in stunned silence. Part of him worried that Aiden would think the silence was from not really wanting him there.

But, again, he seemed to understand. He just gave him that soft smile, again. "God, I missed you."

Josh finally smiled, then. And it hit him. He was sitting here, with the true love of his life. Eternity stretched out in front of both of them. In a world where death and suffering were a thing of the past. He was home. The years since Aiden's death melted away. He leaned over and kissed him.

Eventually, they pulled apart, and Aiden put the car back into gear and started driving. "It's not so bad, really. Downright peaceful when the people you care about aren't too emotional for you to block. And, everyone you've lost along the way is here. Speaking of which, Hayley sends her love, and wants you to know that she would love to see you when you're ready. But, only when you're ready." He chuckled. "I think she's really more concerned with giving us time alone, than worried that you wouldn't want to see her. After all, it's been what? Thirteen years? Time gets a little weird, up here."

"I will definitely want to see her, eventually. But, right now… Yeah… I just want to spend some time with you. We have a lot of catching up to do. And a lot of time to make up for."

Aiden just laughed and reached out to hold Josh's hand. He kept driving.

Josh wasn't sure where they were going, but it didn't really matter. He had Aiden back. And that was all he really needed to know, right now.


	8. The Closest Thing To Normal

**Chapter 8: The Closest Thing To Normal**

 _Ivy's death, the release of the ancestors to finally find their peace, and Hope activating her curse. There's not really much to say about this chapter. It's really almost filler, because those things need to be acknowledged._

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley jumped as her phone started to ring. She pulled it out and stared at it for a second before hitting the button to answer the call. "Esther? What's going on?" She was honestly almost afraid to ask. While the odds were that anything horribly bad would break through her block - after all, Elijah getting his memories back did - there was still that chance that Esther could have seen something that she knew nothing about.

But, this time, it wasn't actually the Mikaelsons in trouble. "Hayley. I know you've been blocking them, so you might not know. Ivy just died."

"Ivy? Oh no! But… where is she?"

"She's still there."

It took a minute before the implications sank in. That statement made no sense at first. And then it clicked. "She's in transition?"

"She is. But, that's not why I called. She's refusing to finish the transition. She wants to die a witch. It's about to get very crowded over there. Vincent is releasing the ancestors."

"Releasing… Would you like a list of all the witches who tried to kill me and/or Hope? Am I really going to have to deal with all of them?"

"Don't forget that I'm at the top of that list, Hayley. The very top. A lot of that was my influence."

"You're family. Always and forever applies to you, too."

"Don't worry. You'll never actually have to deal with any of them unless either you choose to confront them or they come looking to apologize to you."

"How do you figure that?"

"Have you really not noticed? How many people have you seen that you weren't specifically looking for, or weren't specifically looking for you?"

Hayley blinked. Somehow, she hadn't noticed that. But, Esther was right. There should be several centuries worth of people teeming around. And yet, she had never seen any of them. And, she finally understood why. For all that some things seemed so much like nothing had really changed, this was not the New Orleans she had lived in for the past fifteen years.

"So, if that's true, what makes you say that it's going to get crowded over here?"

"Well, while you likely won't have to deal with most of the ancestors, you did know quite a few of the witches. And they're all about to show up at once. And not all of them hate you, or deserve to be hated by you. So, be prepared, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the head's up. You were actually one of those ancestors for a bit. Is there anyone you would like me to talk to for you?"

"No, I used them as pawns. None of them were ever my friends. The only one I really know well… I don't exactly want to talk to Celeste any more than I imagine you do."

No, she most certainly wanted nothing to do with Celeste. Forgiving Esther was one thing. Esther was family, and had genuinely atoned for what she had done. Celeste, on the other hand… Hayley didn't trust her ability to be civil to Celeste.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

In the end, Esther's warning was mostly unnecessary. Ivy came to see her for a short time before going off to be with her parents. The only other witches Hayley was faced with were Sophie and Jane Ann Devereaux.

"I wanted to apologize for mine and my daughter's parts in everything that happened to you. For my part, I was just trying to protect my people from Marcel and get Davina back so we could finish the Harvest. Which…"

"I was there, Jane Ann. I know why the Harvest had to be completed. The entire city would have been destroyed. You were trying to save everyone. And in the end, if you hadn't done what you did, I might have never met Elijah. Granted, if Monique hadn't killed me and inadvertently turned me, I'd still be alive, but… That isn't on you. The person most responsible, well other than Monique herself, has already apologized for her part. You and I are fine."

"You've grown up quite a bit since the last time I saw you." The look Sophie gave her was teasing.

Hayley just shrugged. "Motherhood will do that to you, I guess. So will being dragged into the Mikaelson family. It's good to see you, Sophie."

"It's good to see you, too. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Oh, I don't know. I think that the witches of New Orleans being released to finally find peace is a pretty good circumstance. I think that Vincent did the right thing. If you're talking about my own death…" She shrugged again. "The fact that we're here is proof that this place exists. Eventually, even the Mikaelsons will be here. And, in the meantime, I got to meet my parents. My real parents. I don't know what your afterlife has been like up until now, but this place is definitely not bad. You'll see."

"Yeah. I guess I'll see." Hayley found herself being pulled into a hug. "I'm still sorry about your death, though. You deserved better. You deserved to be with Hope and with Elijah. I'll see you around?"

"Definitely. I spend a lot of time with Cami. So, I'm sure we'll see each other."

She shook her head as the two women walked out. That may not have been the strangest meeting she's had since dying, but it was certainly on the list.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"What the hell does it say about my family, that my fifteen year old daughter triggering her werewolf curse was barely a blip on my damn radar?" She had registered Hope's anger, but that was such a constant thing, that she didn't really think much of it. It wasn't until the pain kicked in, that she realized what had just happened.

"Honestly? I think that what it might really be saying is that you are finally learning to not be quite so involved in everything. And that's a good thing. You deserve to let yourself be at peace, Hayley. Eve is certainly right about one thing. There's nothing we can do about anything down there." Cami poured her another drink. "And, in a way, that was probably the most normal thing to happen in a while. Hope is a werewolf. This day was going to come, there was no stopping it. I'm honestly impressed that it took her this long. After all, she inherited her father's temper."

They were once again at Rousseau's, once again with Hayley drowning her sorrows. Cami was right. There had never been any doubt that Hope was not going to be like Eve. She was going to trigger the curse, someday. Hayley had always known that. Had even pointed it out to Klaus, once. Because she wasn't just a werewolf. She was a Mikaelson. And, she had turned Hayley. That was the thing they all kind of ignored, most of the time. Hope had turned Hayley. And even bleeding to death, you were dead before all the blood was gone. Which meant that someday, Hope would become a vampire. There was no way around that. And then what? Even if she somehow went her entire mortal life without killing anyone, eventually, she would drain someone dry.

"I guess you're right. It just seems strange, to me. Or, maybe I'm just starting to become numb to it all. Which is almost a scary thought."

"Not scary at all. You almost have to become numb to it, after a while. Otherwise, your Heaven becomes a Hell, instead. And you don't deserve that. You were a good person, Hayley. You made your fair share of mistakes, did things you aren't proud of. But, we've all done that."

"Even you?"

"Don't forget how horrible I was to you about Jackson's death and your feelings for Elijah."

Hayley looked down. "You know that the reason it bothered me so much was because it was true. Klaus even called me out on it after you died. Did you see that?"

Cami just stared at her. "No. No, I didn't see that. What the hell did he say to you?"

"He told me not to try to act like I knew what he was going through, because the person I felt a true connection to still breathed. Didn't take a rocket scientist to realize he was talking about Elijah."

But, the look on Cami's face was incredulous. "He actually said that? He… he compared what he felt for me to your feelings for Elijah?"

Hayley smiled at her. "Klaus loved you, Cami. I… I don't know if I can offer you the same assurance that everyone has been giving me. But, I do know that he loved you very much. He was devastated by your death. How… how did you not see that?"

"I saw some of it. But, I stayed away a lot more than you do. I honestly don't know how you do it. How you can watch them so much. I don't know how you don't die inside watching some of the things going on down there."

"You mean like Hope turning into a monster? And I don't mean triggering her curse."

"I was thinking more about Elijah. Klaus may have been devastated by my death, but it was still nothing compared to what Elijah is going through, right now."

Yes, Elijah. On top of everything, he was still on the outs with Klaus. Which seriously pissed Hayley off. Klaus was being so stubborn and stupid. He hadn't wanted Elijah to get his memories back because he hadn't wanted to put him through the pain of losing her. And yet, now that Elijah did remember, Klaus was being distant and cold. So, Elijah had lost his brother, too. He had lost the person he needed the most. And there was nothing Hayley could do about it. Nothing she could do to get them to sit down and talk to each other.

"They'll be okay, Hayley. They've weathered worse over the past thousand years. They'll get through this, too. I actually wonder if Klaus is afraid to let himself care too much for Elijah, right now."

That didn't make much sense to Hayley, but Cami was the resident shrink. "Why do you say that?"

"I think he may be afraid that Elijah isn't going to be able to deal with this. Remember his reason for not wanting him to get his memories back. He's still waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's waiting for Elijah to break. He's waiting to lose him, all over again. But this time… There are ways for even Elijah to die, Hayley. I don't know that Klaus trusts him, right now."

"And taking away his brother, his best friend, helps him, how?"

"It's Klaus we're talking about. The idea that Elijah might need him is not really something he's considering. He's just trying to keep himself from getting hurt. But, Elijah doesn't strike me as the suicidal type. They have until the end of time. They'll sort themselves out, eventually. You'll see."

Hayley could only pray that Cami was right. Because Klaus and Elijah needed each other more than ever, right now. And seeing them like this… if she wasn't already dead, she would say that it was killing her. As it was, she had no idea how to describe it.

But, she knew that Cami was right. Klaus and Elijah had been through worse, including trying to kill each other more times than either of them could count. And yet, they always found their way back to each other. Always and forever wasn't just a platitude to either of them. As horrible as they could be to each other, they were still brothers. They still loved each other. And eventually, they would be okay. After all, the one thing they had an overabundance of was time.

She had no idea just how quickly the day was coming when she would look back on that thought and call herself a naive fool.


	9. We're Going Shopping?

_When Esther decides that the invisible guests at Freya's wedding should dress up like they really are going to a wedding, Hayley, Cami, and Eve decide that this calls for a "shopping" trip._

 _As always, thank you for the kudos, favorites, and especially the comments. They mean the world to me._

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"I am going to murder that man, I swear to God!"

Hayley's mother blinked at her. "What did Klaus do, this time?"

"Not Klaus. Elijah. I'm going to murder him. He's being so fucking stupid right now!"

"Right. Okay. I'm calling Cami. And Eve. You sound like you need your friends."

"Yeah. Fine. Call them. You're probably right. And maybe Cami can help me understand what the hell is going through that man's head, right now. Because fuck if I understand it. Actually, call Eve, first. See if she's willing to go to Rousseau's with us. If not, tell Cami to bring something. I really need a drink."

It was only a few minutes before both of her friends were there. "Eve would have gone to Rousseau's with you, but I thought that maybe having your mom there would be a good idea. I know you aren't used to that, the idea of your mom being someone you can talk to. But… I know her well enough to know that she would have hoped for a relationship with you like the one you had with Hope. She's finally getting her second chance, and I don't want to keep taking that away from her. So, what are we murdering poor Elijah for? I'm assuming it's not just to bring him home?"

"Freya is getting married. Today. And she asked Elijah, as the current family patriarch, to walk her down the aisle. And he told her no, that he can't. Our family is finally having something good happen, and he can't take one day to just be happy for his sister."

"Hayley… if the situation was reversed… if you were alive, but Elijah still didn't have his memories back. Or worse, if the impossible had happened and he was dead… How would you feel about going to Freya's wedding, alone? Especially if he was dead. How would you feel, watching her get married, seeing her so happy, and knowing that you will never have that? That the love of your life is gone, and isn't coming back. Would you be able to do it?"

"I… I don't know. You think this isn't hard for me, too, Cami? You think it doesn't hurt me to watch him go through this? Hell! You think it isn't hard for me to see Freya and Keelin so happy, and I'm dead? Elijah isn't the only one who is never going to have that." She put her face in her hands and cried. "I just want to go back. I want my daughter. I want Elijah. I want to dance at Freya's wedding. And it isn't fucking fair!"

"No. It isn't fair. But, before you get mad at Elijah, just remember that you have an advantage he doesn't. You know that this place exists. You know that there's more. You know that you will see them all again. It may be centuries, but eventually, your family will all come home. Elijah doesn't have that reassurance. He knows that there used to be a place where vampires and witches and werewolves all went when they died. But he also knows that that place was destroyed. He has no way of knowing that there's anything else. He has no way of knowing that a part of you still exists. And even if he did know that, he has no way of knowing that you still love him, and are waiting for him. He may very well assume that if there is an afterlife, you're back with Jackson, now."

"Is this what things have been like for her since she died? She freaks out and Cami tries to psychoanalyze everyone for her?"

"Pretty much, yes. Hayley's afterlife hasn't exactly been peaceful, so far."

And then Hayley felt a pair of arms around her. "I know it's hard. But, you have friends. You have friends, here. And none of us are going anywhere."

Hayley leaned into Eve's hug. "You know what? You're right. And, so is Cami. You were both right about something else, too. Even the Mikaelsons will have their bright days. And today is one of them. And yeah, for Elijah, it does have that shadow hanging over it. Because I'm not the only one knowing that I should have been there to dance with him. And I guess that's why he's being so ridiculous, right now. Because he's hurting. But, it's still a happy day. My best friend is getting married, today. Elijah might still be hurting too much to be able to just be happy for her, but… Cami's right. I know that this place exists. I know that I'm going to eventually get them back. All of them. Someday, I will dance with Elijah, again." She turned to look at her friend. "I know that you never watch. But… How would you like to go to a wedding? I mean… assuming there's a way to get you there…"

Eve laughed. "What? You think I don't care about Hope? I'm assuming that she'll be at her aunt's wedding. Yeah. Let's do this."

"Let's do this." She pulled out her phone and called Esther.

And was greeted by a shriek. "My baby's getting married, today! And all five of my living children will be in one place! You're going, right? I'll see you there?"

Hayley just laughed. "I'm going. I'll see you there. My friend Eve is coming with me. And I'm sure that Cami and my parents will be there, too. We'll have our own party, right next to theirs." And then she sighed. "But… Esther… I don't know if all five of them will really be there. Elijah is… having a hard time, right now. Cami says it's hard for him because this is just throwing in his face what he's never going to have. I don't know if you were watching them…"

"What did my idiot son do, now?"

Hayley explained Elijah's refusal to walk Freya down the aisle, and her fear that he wasn't even going to go to the wedding at all. "But, you'll have four of them, at least. And Hope. And it's still your daughter's wedding day."

"I will go to my daughter's wedding. And I will enjoy seeing however many of my children end up going, and my granddaughter, all having fun and enjoying themselves, for once. And if your idiot boyfriend isn't there, then I will go check on him and see if I can figure out what his problem is. Well… besides the obvious of it being a little hard to happily dance at a wedding when your own soulmate just died. But, I will be there for him, even if he doesn't know it. And, for one day, we are all going to let ourselves be happy. But, for right now, I'm going to let you go. I have to decide what I want to wear."

And then the phone went dead. Hayley stared at it for a minute and then laughed. "So, apparently we are all supposed to dress up like we're at the wedding for real. Because, Esther just hung up on me so she could go decide what to wear."

Eve's eyes widened. "I don't really have anything to wear to a wedding. I wasn't expecting this to turn into…"

Cami rolled her eyes. "Well then. I guess it's time the three of us went shopping. We can all get something pretty to wear. I mean… I said three of us, but if you want to come, Brooke, you're more than welcome to."

Hayley's mom laughed and shook her head. "You girls go have fun. I'll see you at the wedding."

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"So, how does this work, exactly?" They were standing in the middle of a dress shop, looking over the displays. There seemed to be no staff, and only one of each dress. And everything was strange.

Cami laughed. "The same way it works at Rousseau's. You think I actually work there, or something? There's no money, here. You want something, you take it. And it will still be there for the next person, too."

"And, let me guess. There's only one of everything, because everything will magically fit us, regardless. So, they don't need multiple sizes."

"Now you're starting to understand. Welcome to Heaven, Hayley. Now then. Let's get to shopping." She started pulling dresses off the displays and holding them up to Eve. "Okay, your coloring is definitely too subdued to pull off anything overly bright or dark. We want you to wear the dress, not the other way around."

Hayley laughed. "Playing stylist, now?"

Cami just shrugged. "It's fun. And you've spent time with Rebekah. You don't need help. No offense, Eve, but I'm guessing that dressing up is not really something you do very often."

"No offense taken. You're right. I've spent most of my life living in the bayou. Not much call for fancy dresses, there. I am perfectly content being turned into a livingish doll for you to dress up."

"Ish?" Hayley turned away from the red dress that had caught her eye to give her friend a questioning look.

"Well, I'm not really living, am I? Okay, I'm being weird. I think it should be allowed, right now."

Hayley nodded and was about to turn back to the dress she was thinking of getting, when Cami held up a light grayish blue dress to Eve and suddenly all she could see were her eyes. She gasped. "That. Eve, go try that on."

Eve looked at the form-fitting dress a bit dubiously, but then shrugged and took it into a fitting room. She came out a few minutes later, tugging at the neckline of the dress. "Okay, I like this color, but the style is definitely not me."

"No. You look amazing, but we don't want you to be uncomfortable." Cami walked over to a somewhat more conservative dress. It was simple, just a solid black column with tank top style straps and a higher neckline than the first dress. And then, suddenly, it wasn't black, anymore, but that same light grayish blue. She held it out to Eve. "This. Try this on. I think it might be more your style."

While Eve was in the fitting room, Cami came over to where Hayley was still looking at that red dress. "That looks eerily similar to the dress you wore to the Strix party. Sure that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Time for me to put my shrink hat back on, I guess. Look, Hayley. That dress is going to be a reminder of a very bittersweet day in your life. You were happy, dancing with Elijah, pretending for one night that things between you weren't kind of screwed up. Except, you were married to Jackson, and that party was nothing but a fantasy, maybe a hope for the future. Sure you want to wear a dress that similar to the one you wore that night to Freya's wedding? This time you won't even get to dance with Elijah. You are looking at another bittersweet night. Your best friend is getting married. But you can't really be there. Even if Elijah pulls himself together enough to go, you can't dance with him. It will be another fantasy. Another hope for a future that… he's immortal, Hayley. It's a future that could still be millennia away."

"In a way, that makes this dress even more fitting. It's like we've come full circle. That night, I could be held in his arms, could dance with him, could pretend for one night. But, I wasn't really his. My heart was, but I technically belonged to someone else. Now, it's the other way around. I'm his, in every possible way. But, he can't hold me, can't dance with me, won't even know that I'm there. I know, Cami. I know that this is going to be hard. And maybe you're right. Maybe this dress will just make it harder. It just seems… fitting."

At that moment, Eve finally came out of the fitting room. "This is the one. I just stood in there and stared at myself, trying to figure out if my reflection was real. And, as for what you two were talking about while I was in there… I think that Hayley may be right. You may be the resident shrink, Cami, but Hayley still knows her own mind better than anyone else possibly could. And who knows? Maybe wearing a dress similar to the one she wore that night will actually make things easier for her to deal with the situation."

"Parallels. Make tonight as similar to that night as possible, which will actually make it familiar. She's been here, before. She managed then, she can manage again. I guess that makes sense."

"Okay, now that the two of you have decided that I should be allowed to wear the dress I picked out, I guess that means it's Cami's turn."

Cami rolled her eyes and then grabbed a straaples, sapphire blue ball gown and started heading to the fitting rooms with it. "I've actually had my eye on this thing, trying to figure out what the heck I could possibly wear it to, up here. Let's see if it looks as good on me as it does on the hanger."

"Are you going to try yours on, or just go with it?"

"I'm just going to get it. It really is very similar to one I've already worn. And that one was given to me by Rebekah Mikaelson. I trust her taste."

"Okay, well I'm going to get out of this thing. I don't feel like walking through the streets of New Orleans wearing it. Even if it does make me feel like a goddess."

"It makes you look like a goddess, too. You are stunning in that thing. But, go on. Change out of it so we can get home and finish getting ready."

Because Cami had just come out of the fitting room, beaming, with the ballgown draped over her arm. "Okay. If you ladies are done here, let's box these up and get back to the Labonairs' to get ready."


	10. Brighter Days and Darkest Nights

_Well, I forgot about the mood whiplash in this episode. For one day, Hayley is able to mostly forget her problems, and have fun seeing her whole family together. But, it doesn't last._

 _As always, thank you for the likes, follows and comments. They are very much appreciated_

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"I'm sure he would be here if he could."

Poor Freya looked absolutely crestfallen. "Yeah. Maybe we were expecting too much."

Hayley just wanted to hug her friend. But, she knew that that wasn't possible. She glanced over at Esther, who was wiping her eyes. This had to be even harder for her. As much as Hayley loved the Mikaelsons, and considered them her family, these were Esther's _children_. For her, this was how Hayley would feel if it was Hope standing there. Well, Hayley couldn't hug Freya, but there was at least one person who was hurting who she _could_ help. She put her arm around Esther. "Rebekah's right, you know. Elijah would be here if it just wasn't too painful for him."

Esther returned her hug, but then shook her head. "Is that supposed to make it better? One of my babies is currently hurting so badly that he can't even bring himself to go to his sister's wedding. And there isn't a damn thing either of us can do about it. I'm a witch, Hayley. A damned powerful witch. I'm not used to feeling helpless."

While they were talking, Rebekah had exited. Likely to start her walk down the aisle as the maid of honor. And then Klaus was there. "If it's not too presumptuous, perhaps I might escort you."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Esther squealed like a little girl, and Hayley breathed a sigh of relief. No, Elijah wasn't better by a long shot. It would be a very long time before his heart had healed. But, he had pulled himself together enough to be able to be happy for his sister. It was a start. The first small step down the long road to recovery. She glanced over at Cami, who nodded, smiling. No, Hayley hadn't overestimated the significance.

"You're late."

"Fashionably so."

The uninvited guests all laughed at that. That short exchange was just such a Klaus and Elijah thing. Even now, while they were still in mourning during the happiest day of their sister's life, they couldn't help the snarky brotherly banter that they had spent most of the past thousand years trading.

For one moment, everything else faded away and they were just themselves. And, for the first time since she had died, Hayley truly believed that they would be okay.

"Well then. Looks like you're stuck with both of us." And Klaus wasn't giving an inch. Which was so very Klaus-like.

"You ready?"

Freya nodded, and linked arms with her brothers. "I am now."

And then they walked out, unknowingly followed by an entourage.

An entourage that included the mother who was probably happier than she had been since the day Freya had been taken away. "They're here. All of them." And then she stopped, looking around. "Oh my God. _All_ of them."

Hayley wasn't sure what she meant by that. Until she suddenly saw two more people she hadn't noticed before. Finn… and a little boy who looked to be about twelve. She stared. "Henrik?"

To her further surprise, Esther turned to Ansel. "Why didn't you tell me Henrik was coming?"

"Because he didn't tell me. I wasn't expecting it. He never met Freya. It never occurred to me that he might want to be here for this."

Okay, that was a bit weird. Why in the world would Ansel know more about what Henrik was up to than his own mother would? Hayley made a mental note to ask about it, later.

And then Eve leaned in and whispered in Hayley's ear. "Henrik has been living with Ansel. Ansel felt responsible for him, since it was really his fault that he died. So, he basically took him in. When Esther died the last time, because she needed to put Dahlia first, at least for a while, it made sense for Henrik to stay with Ansel. Now, he calls him his stepfather. The living arrangements might seem weird to you, but it makes sense for them."

Hayley just nodded. And made a mental note to find out where they were staying. She should go introduce herself to her daughter's youngest uncle. After all, Henrik was her family, too.

And then, Kol started the ceremony. "Dearly beloved, now, not to make this all about me, but we know how families work. Sometimes it's dinner, and sometimes it's daggers."

The living guests may not have found the comment amusing, but Hayley and Esther both chuckled. Especially at the look on Klaus's face. Yes, that had been a dig at him. But, nobody could deny that he had finally grown up since Hope was born.

"Now, I don't know why it takes something as special as this to wake us up, to make us aware of the beauty in the moment, during the moment, or to be grateful for what we have, while we have it."

Hayley could only stare. When had Kol grown up so much?

"Davina is very good for him. She brought out the best in him. It was always there, you know. Once upon a time, before Mikael and I turned them all into monsters, Kol had been a happy young man. The only one of my children, other than Freya, to actually be able to do magic. The only other true witch. I think that may have been what drew him to Davina at first. She represented everything he had lost. Obviously, it grew to be much more than that. He made a good choice. So did Freya. Keelin is lovely, inside and out. And you know what makes them even more special?"

Hayley had a feeling she knew the answer, but knew that Esther wanted to say it, so she asked. "What?"

"Back in my day, this wedding wouldn't have been possible. The two of them being seen together would have gotten them stoned just as quickly as being caught doing magic would have gotten us burned at the stake. Between Davina, Keelin, Marcel, Hope, and you… maybe their immortality wasn't such a curse, after all."

Except, Hayley was dead. And Elijah was still immortal. But, maybe there was still another love out there for him. Maybe he wouldn't have to spend Eternity alone. She didn't stop to think about what that would eventually mean for her.

"Now, by the power vested in me by a Franciscan monk in the 13th century, and by the internet a few hours ago, just to be on the safe side, I now pronounce you married. You may both kiss the bride."

And then, as Freya happily kissed her wife, Hope waved her hand and whispered something that Hayley didn't quite catch, and the flowers decorating the arch they were standing in suddenly separated into individual petals which all flew away like birds. Hayley had to admit that it was a beautiful touch.

"Wow. Okay, witch weddings are definitely the coolest."

Hayley laughed. "I'm sorry, Eve. I asked you to go to this thing, and then I ended up practically ignoring you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm enjoying myself. And it's not like I can't leave whenever I want."

Hayley just nodded. "Well, I'm glad you came. And I'm especially glad that you're enjoying yourself. You deserve to have some fun."

~Waiting For That Dance~

For the next several hours, there was not one, but two parties taking place. While the living danced, and laughed, and ate, and drank champagne, the dead also danced and laughed. And watched. It was bittersweet for them. They were happy for Freya and Keelin, and yet, they yearned to truly be there. To hug the brides and offer their congratulations. To join the others in officially welcoming Keelin into the family. To dance with them. Oh, how Hayley yearned for a dance. Just one dance with Elijah. Just one moment when everything was okay between them.

Suddenly, there was a hand held out in front of her. She looked up to see Finn smiling at her. "May I have this dance?" His expression turned slightly rueful. "It's not the same, I know. I'm not the one you really want to be dancing with. But, you can close your eyes, and for a few minutes you can pretend. It's the best any of us can do."

Hayley smiled and took his hand, letting him lead her out to the dance floor. And then she closed her eyes, and let herself pretend. As she swayed to the music, in Finn's arms, she let herself pretend that it was Elijah holding her. And, when the song ended, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for that."

"Hayley… My brother loves you. Even I could see that. Which hardly helps, right now. But, you have to believe that. He loves you. And someday, you'll get him back."

"Except, wishing for that is… wishing for him to spend Eternity alone. And I don't want that, either. Better my pain than his, you know?"

Finn just smiled again. "Good to see that his feelings are not misplaced. If anyone truly deserves him, it's you. Right now you just have to have faith that this will all work itself out, somehow. In the meantime, how would you like to meet Henrik? I don't know if he's been bugging Ansel about you, but he's spent more time today asking me about you than actually watching his sister's wedding. Which, I don't really blame him. He never knew Freya in life. He's gotten to know her the past decade or so, but her being his sister is really almost abstract to him. You, though… You're Elijah's girlfriend, and the mother of Niklaus's child. That makes _you_ fascinating."

Hayley laughed. "I was actually just thinking today that I needed to find out where he was staying so I could go introduce myself. So, yes. I would very much like to meet him." She once again took Finn's hand and let him lead her over to the young boy he had brought with him. "So, you're Henrik Mikaelson?"

He nodded. "And you're Hayley Marshall. You're Hope's mom. And Elijah's girlfriend."

"Well, I was Elijah's girlfriend, once upon a time. I'm not sure what you would call me, now."

Henrik rolled his eyes. "You both still love each other, right? Calling you his ex-girlfriend seems kind of silly when you both obviously still want to be together."

"I suppose it does. Do you… do you know Hope, at all?"

"Of course. She's my niece, right? Niklaus's daughter. He was always my favorite. Which… is why I ended up following him that night. It was stupid. I should have known better. But, it's done. I watch them, sometimes. Especially Niklaus. And Hope. I like getting to know her. Anyway, you should come by the cabin, some day. I'd like to get to know you, better."

"I'll do that. I'd like to get to know you better, too. And, honestly, I'd like to get to know Ansel better, too. After all, he's Hope's grandfather."

Henrik nodded. "Good. Then it's settled. Your mom and dad know where we live. They can bring you over." And then he was gone, wandering off to ask his mother to dance.

Hayley shook her head as she followed him with her eyes. "Is he always like that?"

"He's a perpetual twelve year old. Surely you remember that age from Hope?"

"Vaguely. Honestly, she always seemed so mature for her age, until recently. She had to grow up faster than most kids because of being a Mikaelson. And everything that came with it. Honestly, she's been acting like a child more the past few months than she ever did when she actually was a child. So, no… I don't remember Hope ever being like that. Then again, I'm kind of glad that he is. Klaus would be glad, too. He may have robbed him of a life, but at least he's still a happy child. At least the way he died didn't take that away from him. I'm probably not making much sense."

"No, I totally understand. I pretty much felt the same way when I saw him, again. I was glad that he was still Henrik, still the happy-go-lucky child I remembered. I can only imagine what it was like for Mother."

Hayley laughed. "Your mother is something else. She _shrieked_ at me when I called her today. Then again, it's her daughter's wedding day. I am probably going to be the same way when Hope gets married."

"At least when you talked to her, it was on the phone. I live with the woman. You can hang up a phone."

"Poor Finn." And then she noticed Eve standing by herself. "Have you met my friend Eve, by any chance?"

"Hayley Marshall, are you trying to play matchmaker?"

Hayley shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know that I would have wanted the Finn Mikaelson I used to know anywhere near her, but I like this version of you. You are definitely more relaxed, and more fun to be around, than when you were alive." She realized how that had to sound. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to imply that…"

"That I am literally better off dead? It's okay. None of us ever wanted to be immortal in the first place. But, the others took to immortality better than I did. They grew to at least tolerate it. Klaus loves it. Rebekah is angry about the things she had to give up for it, but not with the immortality itself. If she could be human again, and have children of her own, she would jump at the chance. But, none of them were ever suicidal. Me, on the other hand? I actively sought my own death. I welcomed it. I really am better off, now."

"Well, I'm glad that you seem to finally be happy. And I would still like to introduce you to Eve. Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic, but nobody should have to spend Eternity alone. And I already know for a fact that it's very possible for relationships to start, here. Elijah's ex-girlfriend is now dating one of Marcel's vampires. They seem happy. Why shouldn't you get to be happy, too? I mean, I know there's always the chance you won't like each other. At least not like that. But… can you really blame me for wanting to try?"

He smiled. "No, I can't blame you. And, I've heard of her. Henrik, my mother, and Ansel have all spoken well of her. So, yes. Your ulterior motives aside, I would love to meet her. Not making any promises, feelings can be fickle things, after all. But, no reason we can't see where this goes."

Hayley took Finn's hand and led him over to where Eve and Cami were talking. "Finn, I know you've met Cami. But, this is my friend Eve. She's the first member of my pack that I ever met. She also once staked Elijah to keep him from accidentally killing me when he was delirious thanks to a werewolf bite courtesy of Klaus."

"Beautiful and brave, then? It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Eve."

Eve raised an eyebrow at that. "Finally?"

"I've heard of you. My mother, brother, and stepfather have all mentioned you, before. With only good things to say. Though, I'm sure you can hardly say the same thing about me. Most of the people you would have really known who also knew me probably didn't like me very much."

"Most of my people didn't like vampires in general. Hayley was the exception. Though, I always liked your brother. He was good to Hayley, and good for her."

"Yes, he was. Though she was just as good for him."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Why don't you two stop talking about me and Elijah, and… I don't know… go dance or something?"

"A wonderful idea." He held his hand out. "May I have the honor of this dance?"

As Eve smiled and took Finn's hand, letting him lead her out to the dance floor, Cami leaned in and whispered in Hayley's ear. "Well, isn't he quite the charmer when he wants to be?"

Hayley shrugged. "He's a Mikaelson. It seems to be in their blood. You should know that as well as I do."

"Yes, the Mikaelson men do all know how to sweet talk a lady. It's entertaining being in the audience for it, though."

Hayley just nodded. But, she had to laugh when the song ended, the next one began, and Finn and Eve were still out there dancing together. "Well, it looks like my matchmaking is off to a pretty decent start. Now we just need to find someone for Jackson."

"Which is something you need to stay away from. I highly doubt he'd take too kindly to his ex-wife trying to set him up with someone."

"I suppose you're right."

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Eventually, the sun went down, but the party kept going on. It seemed that nobody, not even Elijah, was ready for the night to end. And as for the invisible guests, they loved watching the people they loved just enjoying themselves, for a change.

Esther, especially, couldn't stop smiling. "Look at them, Hayley. Just look at them. Look at how happy they are. Davina is even happily dancing at Freya's wedding. The only things that could make this better were if you and Cami were there to dance with Elijah and Klaus, and if…"

Hayley didn't need her to finish that sentence. She knew very well that her not being there wasn't the only shadow on the evening. There was still the matter of that thing inside Hope that was slowly destroying her. "Cami reminded me that even the Mikaelsons have their bright days. This is just one of them. They deserve it. They need it."

And then Hope seemed to have some kind of dizzy spell, and everyone except the brides jumped. Rebekah and Marcel were both out of their seats, and everyone was suddenly there, next to her. Even Davina, who had grabbed Kol's arm so that he could get her there quicker than she could walk on her own.

"Is she all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

Keelin reached up and smoothed the back of Hope's head. "Yeah. My medical diagnosis is too much champagne."

And then Hope made a toast, but Hayley wasn't paying attention to the words. Her focus was on Hope's audience. On the Mikaelson siblings who all looked like they were trying not to cry. If it had just been Elijah, she could have chalked it up to missing her. But, it wasn't. It was all of them.

She turned to Esther and Cami. "All right. Do either of you have any idea what is going on, here?"

Cami shook her head. "I've been with you all day. Whatever is going on with them, I haven't been picking up on it. Though, I'm starting to wonder how none of us have."

Esther shook her head. "Because they've been burying it. And the low levels of pain and worry that we might have been picking up are just such constants with them all, lately, that we just don't even notice them, anymore."

Hayley could only nod.

There was a bit of a pall on the rest of the wedding reception. Oh, the guests all kept it from Keelin and Freya. Let them have their day, without the shadow of fear that was obviously hanging over the others. Hayley was amazed at their strength. At their determination to give their sisters a happy wedding day.

But, eventually, the party wound down, and the guests went home. At least the living ones.

Hayley continued to watch over Elijah. Part of her felt like a horrible mother, for that. Obviously, something was very wrong with her daughter. But, there was nothing she could do for Hope.

Not that there was anything she could do for Elijah, either. But, in his case, that was precisely his problem. Somehow, that made her feel less useless, watching him. She could at least be there for him, even if he didn't know it. And who knew? Maybe some part of him would sense her there, and it would offer him some comfort.

Which meant that she was there when it became apparent exactly what everyone's problem was.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

He was standing on the balcony, hands on the railing, looking out. When Klaus came out to join him, he moved his arms closer to his sides, giving his brother room to stand next to him. "Have you told her?"

Told her what? Suddenly, Hayley was very scared. Combined with the way everyone had acted over what should have been assumed to be exactly what Keelin said it was - Hope being a bit tipsy from over-indulging in her first experience with alcohol - those words were like a dagger to her heart. Something was going on, here. Something horrifying.

"I tried." At Klaus's words, Elijah turned around, facing back towards the building. "She's my daughter." They both looked like they were going to cry. "Elijah."

And then it was Elijah who made the first move. Who turned and pulled his brother into his arms for a hug. And in that moment, Hayley knew. She had probably considered it on some level from the moment Hope had that dizzy spell, but had pushed the thought aside as being too horrible to contemplate. But now? All the pieces fell into place, and she couldn't pretend that the picture they formed wasn't perfectly clear, anymore. She knew.

She opened her eyes, and was back in her parents' cabin. She looked around the room, at the anxious faces of her friends and family. All of Freya's invisible wedding guests were here. Hayley didn't question that. Didn't question how or why Esther and Finn had come from Norway. She had bigger concerns.

She wiped at her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears that were falling too quickly to really be dealt with. "She's dying. My fifteen year old daughter is dying. That _thing_ inside her is killing her. And there's nothing anybody can do about it. That's what had them so worried at the wedding reception. I know I said that I want her back, but not like this. Not like this. She's _fifteen_."

Another look around the room showed her own pain reflected in every pair of eyes that had turned to look at her. And she couldn't handle that. Yes, on one hand, it was comforting to know just how many people her daughter had who loved her. But, on the other… This was her daughter. And she couldn't be strong for anyone else, right now. She couldn't even try. She ran to her room, threw herself onto her bed, and cried herself to sleep.


	11. Wake Up!

When she woke up, she was handed a sheet of paper. Cami had made a schedule, assigned everyone blocks of time to watch over Hope. And they were all under doctor's orders to block everyone and everything when they weren't on duty.

"I know you don't like that idea, Hayley. But your sanity is going to depend on it. And, eventually, Hope is going to need you. Nobody is expecting you to be strong for anybody else. But, just like you told Aiden when it was Josh - Hope is going to need you to be there for her when she gets here. You need to be strong for _her_. And you can't do that if you spend the next… however long she has, being constantly bombarded with the Mikaelsons' pain and fear. I promise, she is not going to spend a single second alone. And whoever is on duty when the time comes will make sure that you're there to bring her home. But you need to let yourself rest and recharge, too."

"You're right. I don't like it. In fact, I hate it. I just want to spend every second watching over her. But, I know that you're right. I know that that's not what she needs. Me being there for her now doesn't help her. I know that. I know that what she _needs_ is for me to be there for her when…" And then her voice broke. "When she gets here. I know that. But, she's my daughter."

"I know. I can't imagine what you must be going through, right now. But you have to trust that I know what I'm talking about."

Hayley just nodded and then looked over the schedule. And then gasped at three names she wasn't expecting. Mary, Jackson, and… "Josh? When did anybody talk to Josh?"

"He hasn't been completely oblivious, Hayley. He knows what's going on down there. He and Aiden were even at Freya's wedding. They just didn't want the rest of us to see them."

"Why on Earth not?"

"He's just been trying to get used to everything. And he knows that you're having a hard time, and he was afraid that you might not really want to see him. Don't ask me why. It's Josh. He's probably found something to blame himself for. But, the point is that he hasn't been completely oblivious, and he does care about Hope. So, he wanted to take a shift of watching over her for you."

Hayley just shook her head. "He's an idiot. But, I'm not going to force myself on him. But, seriously! Does he think that me telling Aiden to tell him that I'd love to see him when he's ready was just a platitude?" And then she caught what she had said. "When he's ready. Whatever his excuse is, he's not ready. And I guess I just need to accept that."

"You're learning. Now then. Block everyone out, and go do something fun."

"Like what?"

"I honestly have no idea. Actually. No. I do have an idea. Spend more time with your parents. And the rest of the wolves. I think it might be time for you to connect with more of your people than your immediate family. You're still their Alpha, Hayley."

"Are you sure they want me around? I mean, I'm the reason a good number of them died."

"I guess there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

Hayley rolled her eyes, but she could tell that Cami was still in shrink mode, and wasn't going to let her out of this. Like it or not, she was going to have to be a good little girl and stay away until it was her turn to watch over Hope. And, thanks to Cami's rule that they had to block everything when not on duty meant that she couldn't even watch over Elijah, either. Though, she certainly understood. After all, all of the Mikaelsons were going to be upset for a while. Watching any of them was not exactly going to be cathartic.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

It turned out that her fears were mostly unfounded. The pack welcomed her with open arms. In some cases, literally, as they passed her around for hugs and words of encouragement. Of course, Mary, Jackson, and Eve had filled them in on what was going on with Hope. And, just as they had once banded together with her, willing to give their lives to help protect her daughter, they now banded together to help her cope with the fact that there was nothing any of them could do to protect Hope, now.

And, for a week, they banded together to help her hold onto her sanity, while her best friend tried, unsuccessfully, to find a way to save her daughter. And, she took her turns watching.

Cami had realized pretty quickly that, since nobody was telling Hope the truth, watching over her wouldn't actually keep them apprised of what was going on. And so, she added a second duty roster to the schedule. In addition to making sure that Hope was never left alone, if only so that if the worst happened with no warning, Hayley would be able to be there to greet her, they all now took a shift watching the rest of the Mikaelsons. Hayley was a bit surprised when even Eve was able to use Elijah as a link. Though, not as surprised as she was when Jackson used Freya as his link. Then again, he had saved her life, once. It made a kind of sense that some part of him would want to keep an eye on her, after that.

And, with Cami's permission, they all shared highlights of what they had seen and heard with Hayley. It seemed that Cami's reflexes and ability to vault over the bar weren't the only part of being a vampire that they had kept. Vampire telepathy was still a thing, and it was pretty much Hayley's lifeline.

Not that much really happened for the next week. Except for them all getting more and more panicked as nothing Davina or Freya could find was at all encouraging. And by the night before the full moon, they had run out of options. Which, from what Hayley heard, Klaus had taken about as well as could be expected. Elijah too, for that matter.

It was probably stress that made Hayley and Cami giggle when Cami showed Hayley the conversation Klaus and Elijah had about taking Hope to Mystic Falls. But, it was actually kind of entertaining to see that even now, with all the stress he was under, Elijah could still give his little brother a run for his money in the snarky asshole department. Though, she fought back tears when Klaus's response was to tell Elijah that he was the only one he could trust.

"There's that, at least. Those two managed to resolve their differences, again. All it took was…"

"Shhh… One thing that has to be said about Klaus Mikaelson. He is as stubborn as they come. If there is any way at all to save Hope, he'll find it. And Elijah isn't going to sit back and watch her die, either. Maybe even more so than Klaus."

"How in the world do you figure that?"

"Elijah blames himself for your death. He stood there and watched you die. Hope is his niece, and he loves her. But, even more than that, she's your daughter. And he owes it to you to do everything in his power to save your daughter. He feels like he failed you. He is _not_ going to let himself fail her. And, if I had to take bets on a battle between those two and God Himself… my money would be on the Mikaelsons. If anyone can figure out how to defy the universe, it's Klaus and Elijah. I'm actually feeling pretty optimistic, here."

It was a psychiatric assessment, more than anything else. And yet, for the first time since Freya's wedding, Hayley felt a tiny spark of hope that she wouldn't be called on to bring her daughter home any time soon. Because Cami was right. The Hollow may be one of the most powerful witches in the history of the world, but Klaus and Elijah as a united front were a force of nature that _nothing_ could stand against. If anyone could fix this, it was them.

And so, when her parents invited her to the wolves' full moon bonfire, she went gladly. And actually had fun. For a few hours, at least, it was almost like it was when they were all alive. They talked and laughed. Played music and danced. And let themselves forget their problems and actually be at peace. Even Hayley.

Until Finn Mikaelson showed up, and she remembered that he had just come off of his shift of watching over Hope for her. As she hugged him hello, she asked her usual question. "How is she?"

"She's good. Really good. She's actually been bonding with Elijah, and it's been kind of hilarious. She showed him around the library of her school. Showed him the journals that Stefan Salvatore and Alaric Saltzman kept. Told him about the stories in them about him and Klaus."

"I think I know some of those stories. Hope never mentioned to me that she had read them. I guess she didn't want to put me on the spot of having to explain her father, her family, to her. Of having to say that they're not like that anymore, they've changed. Even though, for the most part, they have."

"Well, Elijah decided to try to do that, for you. He took her out for burgers and milkshakes. Did either of them ever tell you that the Mystic Grill is right across the street from what used to be the house we grew up in?"

"No, they didn't. Though, I doubt I would have cared when I was in Mystic Falls, and there was no real reason to take a trip down that particular stretch of memory lane in New Orleans. I got broad strokes of their human lives, enough to understand what had made them the way they are. But… no real reason to go into that much detail."

"What's funny, is that I don't know that I ever really made the connection. Anyway… He told her a story, one of many, about growing up. Trying to help her understand Klaus, I think." And then he grinned. "Has Hope ever mentioned a townie named Landon?"

That seemed like a really strange segue. "No, why? Should she have?"

"Well, as close as you two are, it seems kind of strange that she never told you about her crush. And from what I saw, it looked mutual. He has her favorite sundae memorized. Right down to knowing which order she prefers the toppings put on. And she looked awfully flustered when he handed it to her."

Hayley laughed. Though, the laugh was short-lived. Hope had a crush. And even if Klaus and Elijah found a way to save her, Hayley wasn't going to be around for her to gossip to.

Finn seemed to notice the change, and understand her reason for it. "They'll figure something out, Hayley. And, even if she doesn't know you're there, you _will_ be there. It's going to be okay."

"Thanks. Now, go on."

"So, then these rich jerk jocks stiffed Landon on their bill. So Elijah, in true Elijah fashion, left him a three hundred dollar tip."

Hayley busted up laughing. That was certainly an Elijah thing to do. "Go on."

"And then he let her drive his car…"

Hayley interrupted him, then. "His Bentley? He never let _me_ drive his Bentley, and I actually had a driver's license."

Finn just shrugged. "Maybe he's getting mellow. Or maybe he's just making up for lost time and spoiling her rotten. His relationship with you aside, he _is_ her uncle, after all. Do you want to hear the rest of this, or would you rather pout a bit more?"

"Sorry. Keep talking."

"So, during their drive, Hope starts giving a monologue about all the things that had to happen for her to exist. Elijah trying to get her to shut up before he had to picture you and Klaus in bed together was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Oh, here. Words just can't do it justice."

Finn touched Hayley's forehead and closed his eyes. And suddenly, Hayley was in the car with Hope and Elijah, and Hope was talking.

"I think about all the crazy things that led to me being born. Dad lives a thousand years, does weird ritual to become the only vampire who can procreate. Mom moves from foster home to foster home…"

At which point, Elijah apparently realized where she was going with this. Because he sighed, put his head back, and closed his eyes. Obviously already trying to ignore her.

Which, Hope was completely oblivious to. "… to wind up in Mystic Falls. When Dad got sad and drunk…"

"Okay."

"… had a one-nighter with Mom…"

"We don't have to…" And now he was shaking his head.

And she was still completely oblivious. "… who was basically hate-banging him."

"We honestly…" The poor man seriously looked like his head was going to explode.

"Then, boom. Loophole."

"Yeah."

"Miracle baby."

Finn pulled away, then. And Hayley collapsed in a fit of laughter. "Oh my God! Poor Elijah. You have to show Cami that. Because, you're right. Words cannot possibly do it justice. 'Hate-banging', holy shit! I think your brother may have just had apoplexy. His _face_!"

She was sitting on the ground, laughing her ass off. And she didn't even care.

Eventually, she was able to stand back up. "Anything else?"

He shook his head. "No. Mother caught the tail end of that as she came to take over. So, that's when I came here." He looked around. "Umm… I kind of hate to do this to you, but…"

Hayley grinned. Even with everything else going on, it hadn't completely slipped her notice that Finn had been spending a lot of time here in the bayou since Freya's wedding. "Eve is out collecting firewood. I'm sure she would love some help."

Finn smiled. "Thanks. I… uh… I'll go see if she needs any help."

Hayley watched him leave, and then took a seat by the bonfire. She had a few hours now before Esther would come to fill her in. And she was going to let herself enjoy them.

Except the universe had other plans.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

She was out collecting firewood when her universe caved in around her. She felt something. Some force pulling her towards one particular spot. And then she came face to face with her worst nightmare.

Hope was standing in the forest, looking confused. No, God please, no. They were supposed to fix this. Klaus and Elijah were supposed to fight the universe and win, one more time. They were supposed to be her unstoppable force of nature that were going to somehow find a way to save Hope. That was how it was supposed to work.

She dropped the firewood she had been carrying. "Hope?"

"Mom."

Hayley ran and hugged her daughter. "What happened? Why are you here?" And why hadn't Esther called her? And then she remembered that she had left her phone at the bonfire. She had been so confident that Klaus and Elijah would figure something out, that she honestly let herself believe that she wouldn't be getting that phone call, tonight.

"I… I was sick. Mom, there's so much that I have to tell you."

But Hayley shook her head. "You shouldn't be here. It's not your time, yet." And, as she said the words, she realized they were true. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. Hope's body wasn't dead, yet. There was still time to save her. But, only if Hayley got her to go back in time.

"It's okay. I want to be here. I want to be here with you."

"No! You have to go back. I need you to fight this. Hope, wake up!"

And then she heard it, Klaus's voice, echoing through the forest, yelling Hope's name. She breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, that confirmed it. She was no more sure how that acted as confirmation than how she knew that Hope wasn't really dead. But, somehow, it did. Klaus was still down there, fighting for Hope's life. Elijah would be either nearby or gone for help. And Klaus gave her the perfect way to guilt her daughter into not giving up, just yet. "You… you have to go back to your dad."

"Mom… I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything that happened. And I can't forgive myself."

Hayley wanted to scream in frustration. She had wanted the girl to take some responsibility for her actions, not decide that she needed to die to atone for them. "Well, too bad… because I forgive you. I forgive you, Hope. And I know that you're scared, and I know that you're sad, and that's okay. What happened this year was about hatred and ugliness that was born long before you and long before me. I need you to fight this. Hope wake up!"

"But I want to be here. I don't want to leave you here, alone."

Is that really what she thought? Had she forgotten all the others they've lost along the way? "Hope. I'm not alone. Listen." The look on Hope's face as she apparently finally heard the wolves chattering away at the bonfire was kind of adorable. "Come with me."

Hayley led Hope back to the bonfire. As they got closer, the sound of talking, of laughter, and of Jackson's guitar, got louder. "Look." She smiled as Hope looked in wonder at all the people who were sitting and standing around. Not just talking and laughing, but roasting marshmallows, clinking beer bottles together. Apparently, if Esther had tried to call her, nobody had noticed. Which was probably just as well. "Jackson is here. My parents. Grandma Mary."

Jackson had noticed them, right around when she said his name. He stopped playing and stood up, looking concerned. But, he didn't come near them. And then, apparently the look on Hayley's face reassured him that Hope wasn't here to stay. He sat back down and started to play, again.

Hayley looked back at Hope. "I'm not dead because of you. I'm at peace because of you."

"If I go back, am I ever going to see you, again?"

It was heartbreaking, sending her fifteen year old daughter back to a life without her. A life that could potentially last millennia. She was going to miss her, so very much. But, she had to be the strong one, now. She shook her head. "Not for a very, very long time. So, you better have good stories, okay? Make art. Use your voice. Have adventures. And have at least one totally epic love." Like Hayley and Elijah. Though, preferably with a happy ending, this time. "And be every bit of yourself. Because the very best of me is in you."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too." She threw her arms around her daughter. "Always and forever."

"I don't want to let go."

And then Hayley realized that the universe had given her an opportunity. Cami had commented on how Elijah couldn't know that the afterlife existed, that Hayley was still there. Much less that she still loved him and was still waiting for him. And now, her daughter was standing here, trying to get up the courage to go back.

Suddenly, Hayley was presented with a way to still be able to tell him how she feels. But, she was running out of time. Hope had to go back, and soon, before her body died. There wasn't time to say everything she wanted to say. But, there was time for one line. A line that could only come from her. "I need you to do something for me. What I'm about to say isn't going to make much sense to you, but that's the point. I need you to tell your Uncle Elijah that I'm still holding out for that dance. He'll understand."

"You… you loved him, didn't you? How did I forget that?"

"I still do. With all my heart. And, I need him to know that. Don't… don't tell him the rest. Just deliver that message for me. He'll know what it means. Now go! Wake up!"

And then Hope was gone. Hayley closed her eyes and concentrated. And breathed a sigh of relief as Hope took a gasping breath and opened her eyes.


	12. Where Have You Been?

_This is it, the final chapter. After this, it merges with In This Life Or The Next. Speaking of which, up until now, it could have fit with canon. That changes in this chapter. This chapter coincides with the events in the first several chapters of In This Life Or The Next, meaning that Elijah doesn't die with Klaus - he takes Klaus's place._

 _Thank you all so much for reading, and for the comments and likes/kudos. They have meant so much to me. Now, without further ado... the final chapter._

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"Is she...?" He couldn't even bring himself to finish his sentence.

"She's okay. I was able to send her back. She's still alive."

Jackson breathed a sigh of relief. "I wonder why Esther never called you."

Hayley shrugged. "Honestly? I think that it all just happened so fast. And then she probably wanted to stay with her sons. Elijah would have been with Hope when it happened, and I know that he brought her to Klaus. It was probably a case of, by the time Esther realized what was going on, Hope was already here. I already knew, so all calling me would have done was distract me. So, she stayed with Klaus and Elijah. It makes sense, really. If my grandchild was dying, and their father was here, I'd be with Hope."

She was so distracted by everything Finn had shown her, and then by Hope showing up, that it never occurred to her to ask Ansel and her father what Klaus was doing while Elijah was keeping Hope distracted. Or to wonder why they never told her. By the time the call from Josh came, nothing could have prepared her for what he had to tell her.

"So, turns out that Klaus had a plan, all along. Then again, it's Klaus. We should have realized."

"You planning on making sense anytime soon, Josh?"

"He planned on having Caroline's girls siphon the Hollow out of Hope and put it on him. Then he was going to stake himself with a white oak stake, and take that bitch out with him."

Hayley was about to tell her mom to call Cami, when it clicked that Josh was talking about this plan in the past tense. "That's what he was going to do. What changed his plan?"

"Hope delivered your message to Elijah."

Hayley's mouth went dry. She knew what was coming, but she had to ask, anyway. "Which means what, actually? How did that change things?" Not that the original plan was any better. No. In fact, what she knew Josh was about to tell her was probably actually a better solution. Except for the fact that she felt responsible for it.

"He's taking Klaus's place. Hope convinced him to give himself time to say goodbye, but… Hayley… Elijah is coming home. Tomorrow."

Hayley dropped her phone. No. This wasn't what she had meant. She hadn't meant for him to… And then she heard her parents' phones both going off at once. What the hell?

"Hayley, what just happened? Cami just sent a group text to everyone that had been watching Hope and the Mikaelsons for you. She said that Hope is going to be fine, and we are all to stay away. To let you and Esther deal with what's going on down there on your own. If Hope is okay, then what?"

She couldn't bring herself to answer. Luckily, she didn't have to. Her father answered for her. "Think about it, Brooke. They found a way to save Hope. But, the only way to do that is to get rid of the Hollow. What happens to it if it's trapped in a body that dies? Considering that Cami didn't include herself in the short list of people allowed to be there when it happens, I'm guessing that Elijah is going to be that body?" When Hayley nodded, he picked his phone back up and started dialing. "I'm calling Esther. You and I know better than anyone what she's about to be going through. And, maybe her and Hayley can help each other a bit."

Hayley managed to pick her phone back up, then. "Josh, I'm sorry. I… I think I'm in shock, right now."

"To be expected, honestly. Aiden told me to ask if you wanted him there."

"No. I appreciate the offer, but… I have my parents here, and my dad called Esther to invite her over. Right now, you need Aiden more than I do."

"All right. Well, I should probably let you go. Call us if you need anything, okay?" The phone went dead before she had a chance to answer. She didn't blame him. If it was reversed, she wouldn't really know how to help him, either. In fact, when it had been reversed, when it had been Aiden faced with Josh's impending death, all Hayley had been able to do was remind him that Josh was going to need him. She hadn't known what to do for him, either.

And then Esther was there. "The moon is about to crest. Which means that Hope is about to transition. You should go. I'll be with Elijah. And he won't be coming home, tonight. Go, run through the woods with your daughter."

Run through the woods? And then Hayley understood. Just as the vampires never lost their abilities, only the blood lust and sun allergy that came with them, Hayley was also still a wolf. Except that she was willing to bet that _all_ of them now had complete control - and none of the pain. All of the perks, none of the problems. Which made a kind of sense, really. Welcome to Heaven.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on Hope. And found herself standing in the middle of the woods outside of Mystic Falls. She stood next to Klaus and watched as their daughter went through the pain of her first transition. And then she could only stare for a minute, as Klaus also transitioned. The shift was quicker for her than it had been for them. And then all three of them were running. And for a few minutes, it was everything Hayley had told Hope it would be.

Until Elijah's scream of pain echoed through the forest, and Klaus turned to run towards it. And was instantly followed by Hope. Shit! Hayley didn't know if Caroline would be with Elijah, but the twins had to be. And it was still iffy on how in control Hope would be when she got there. This could go very badly.

Apparently Klaus had come to the same realization, because he transitioned back and ran at full vampire speed. Even in wolf form, Hope couldn't keep up. But Hayley could.

She shifted her attention to Elijah, and found herself in a clearing. She shifted back to human form and giggled when her clothes shifted with her. Okay, this whole being dead thing definitely had its perks. She even made it there before Klaus did. She reached out and took Esther's hand. "How is he? I mean, obviously getting the Hollow put into him hurt, but… other than that, how is he?"

"It's hard to say, really. He was able to pull himself together enough to make sure Caroline and the girls got out of here, and to thank Alaric for their help."

But then Klaus was there, and the two brothers were doing what they did best - trading snarky banter that made Hayley and Esther laugh. But, the laughter was short-lived. When Elijah commented on the voices in his head, Hope snapped her fingers, knocking him unconscious and told Klaus that that shouldn't have started yet, and they needed to get Elijah back to Freya and Vincent.

And with that, Hayley decided it was time to take a little break to fill her parents in on what was going on.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley opened her eyes in her parents' cabin and sighed. "This is going to be a long night, I think. But, for right now, Elijah is unconscious, and Hope and Klaus are as okay as can be expected, right now. I need a bit of a break."

"Hayley, I need to talk to you about something. I obviously can't be here when Elijah gets here. I don't want to force myself on him. I already feel bad enough about forcing myself on you."

Hayley rolled her eyes at that. "Honestly, Esther? You were a big part of what got me through that. I don't know if I could have handled it without you. You didn't force yourself on me."

"Still. It will be different with him. Just… let him know that I would love to see him, if he ever feels up to it, but I'd understand if he never does."

Hayley sighed. "I'll tell him. But, Esther… Whatever he decides, that doesn't change anything between us. I've forgiven you for everything, and consider you a friend. And I'm not going to become a stranger. I will still be in your life, with or without Elijah."

Esther hugged her. "Thank you for that. You should probably get some rest, though. You have a long day ahead of you, tomorrow. You're going to be the one Elijah most wants to see, after all."

Hayley nodded, then hugged Esther and her parents before going to bed.

She had no way of knowing how long it was before she woke up to the feeling that something was very wrong. She didn't even bother getting out of bed. She just closed her eyes and concentrated on Elijah.

She wasn't sure where she was, but Elijah was in chains. Which made sense. If the Hollow was talking to him, Freya and Hope would want to make sure he couldn't do anything stupid.

And the Hollow was definitely talking to him. Because he was answering it, out loud. Having an actual conversation with the voices in his head. And for one second, she thought that he was somehow aware that she was there. "Hayley. I don't know what to do. Help me."

She was about to answer him, when she realized that he wasn't really talking to her. She was just another voice in his head. And then he broke the chains holding him and walked out of the cave he seemed to be in. How was that possible? Wouldn't Freya and Hope have spelled the things to keep him in? Hayley could only follow as Elijah walked up into the compound.

She could hear the others talking, and knew that Elijah could, too. And something about the look on his face when he turned towards their voices chilled her. If he walked into that room, people were going to die. But maybe, just maybe, she could stop that. She concentrated, and found herself in that white corridor in Elijah's mind. And didn't hesitate before running to the red door and opening it.

"Elijah, no!" And she knew that he had heard her. She could feel him shaking. But, she had to get him out of there. "Run, Elijah. I'm here. I'll come with you. But we have to go. We have to go, now."

"Yes, we have to go." He turned around and walked out of the house, Hayley's spirit following invisibly behind him.

Death stalked the streets of New Orleans, then. Death disguised with a handsome face and an expensive suit. And all Hayley could do was look on in horror as Elijah went on a murderous rampage, trying to get the voices in his head to shut up.

And then they were in an alley. Before Hayley could try to get back into Elijah's head to calm him down, Hope was there. And Elijah lunged at her, pinning her to the wall by her neck. Part of Hayley couldn't help wondering if this was what it had looked like to Eve the day Elijah had attacked her. And yet, Hope didn't seem too distressed. Didn't seem to be struggling to breath, or to be trying to get Elijah to let go of her.

"Hayley. Hayley, please. Help me. I don't know what to do, anymore. I'm scared, Hayley. Help me, please."

Praying that it would work, Hayley once again concentrated until she was in Elijah's mind, and walked through the red door. "I'm here, Elijah. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I love you. I love you, and I'm right here. It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."

She was getting through to him, she could feel it. And then Klaus was there, and Hayley breathed a sigh of relief. Hope was able to talk Elijah down from the ledge, guilting him into letting her go by pointing out that he didn't want to go to Hayley with Hope's blood on his hands. And when he let her go, she snapped her fingers and he collapsed.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

Hayley opened her eyes in her bed in her parents' cabin and walked out into the living room. At some point while she slept, Esther had left and Cami had come over. "I don't know how much more of this I can take. Elijah has that damn thing whispering in his head, now. He… he went a little crazy, trying to get it to stop. I was able to keep him from killing his family, though. There's that."

"Has it really been that bad?"

"You have no idea. I honestly don't know what to do, right now. I mean, not there's anything I really can do for him. Except watch. And force myself into his head for a few seconds at a time to try to talk him down. Which, I can probably actually only do because he isn't actually sane, at the moment." She took a deep breath. "Hope knocked him out, again. I'll know when he wakes up. In the meantime, I needed a break."

"Hayley, you don't have to keep doing this. Esther and I can keep an eye on him, and let you know when it's over so you can be ready to meet him."

Hayley shook her head. "It's Elijah. Would you be able to stay away if it was Klaus?"

Cami sighed. "No, probably not. I see your point."

"So, I've been thinking. And I actually wanted to run this by you so you can tell me if you think I'm just crazy or if what I want to do makes some kind of sense."

Cami raised an eyebrow at that. "Professional opinion?"

"Yeah… I wrote to him, after I went to see him. Ended up never sending it. But… in the letter I was talking about how maybe if I had met my ex in different circumstances without his history of pain and whatever that maybe things would have been different for us."

"Okay, that makes sense. But, I'm guessing that isn't what you want my opinion on?"

"No. I'm… thinking of trying to get a do-over. Of not being at the compound, or here, or anywhere he would expect me to be. But being at the cemetery, where we first met. To give us a chance to 'meet' under different circumstances. Am I out of my mind?"

"No. No, you aren't. Actually, that's kind of sweet, wanting to reenact your first meeting. I say you should go for it."

And so, by the time Elijah woke up, Hayley was sitting in the same cemetery vault she had been in that fateful night fifteen years earlier when her life changed forever. And then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and watched the love of her life say his final goodbyes to his family before coming home to her.

 **~Waiting For That Dance~**

"I have a favor to ask." Hayley almost laughed at Klaus's assumption that Elijah wanted him to be the one to kill him. No, he should have known that Elijah would never ask that of him. "In that box is a ring box. Someday, when some young man asks you for Hope's hand… give him that ring to give to her?"

Hayley put her hand to her mouth. She was glad that they couldn't see her or hear her. That they didn't notice the sob that escaped. He had been planning on proposing? Before everything went to Hell and she started lashing out at him, he had wanted to ask her to spend forever with him? That was a proposal she would have said yes to before he even got the words all the way out. And the fucking Hollow took it away from them.

"Like you said, I'm going to Hayley. To the love of my life. Maybe it isn't fair that we had to die to get our chance to be happy, but when has life ever been fair?"

No, life wasn't fair. Least of all to the Mikaelsons. But, in a few hours, Elijah would be home. And Hayley would have all of Eternity to make it up to him. At least she didn't have to question if he would give her a chance to.

Hayley followed Elijah back into the living room, then followed him and Hope to the other end of the house, where they could talk in private. She had to smile when even Hope mentioned that had things gone differently, Hayley and Elijah would probably be married, by now. Though, the smile was bittersweet. The girl had no idea just how true that really was.

Hayley's mood was not helped at all by finding out that Elijah really had bought that cabin in the bayou that they had joked about. First the ring, and then the cabin. He had tried so hard to give her the fairy tale. And she threw it away. No wonder he had wanted to forget her. She couldn't imagine the hole she had made in his heart.

"Do you have any messages you want me to deliver?"

"Just tell my mom I love her. And I'm going to do my best to make you both proud."

"I love you too, baby girl." Hayley whispered, even though she knew neither of them could hear her.

And then Elijah was walking back to collect the next person for his goodbyes. Hayley had no idea how he was going to get through this. But, she was surprised when the next person he asked to talk to wasn't any of his siblings, but Caroline.

But then it made sense as Elijah asked her for two favors, the first, to keep an eye on Klaus and help Hope keep him from spiraling, again. The second, though, was why he needed to talk to Caroline before he talked to Rebekah.

"I hope it will be several decades before it becomes an issue. But, the one thing my little sister has always wanted, even when we were human, was to have a family of her own. And then my parents made that hopelessly impossible."

"When Damon is ready to go, Rebekah is next in line for the cure. I'll make sure that he and Elena are both aware, as well."

Rebekah, human? With children of her own? Could the universe really allow that to happen? Would she really be allowed that chance at happiness? It seemed almost too good to be true. Not that she had time to process that before she found herself in Rebekah's bedroom.

"I don't know how to do this, Elijah. I don't know how to say goodbye to you."

When Elijah commented on feeling selfish, Hayley couldn't help but feel the same way. He was right, really. They were leaving everyone else behind, while they finally would be able to grab onto each other and never let go. It hardly seemed fair that their happiness was going to come at the price of everyone they loved being left to go on without them. Hayley had thought of the ramifications of her fifteen year old daughter being motherless. But, it never occurred to her that Klaus and Rebekah had spent a thousand years with Elijah. And then were given just a few short hours to say goodbye.

"And… I guess that means that I'll see you in about a hundred years or so. What's a hundred years, right? Just a blip on the radar at this point, really."

Hayley blinked at that. Somehow, when Elijah was talking to Caroline, the full ramifications of what he was asking didn't quite hit her. Rebekah human meant Rebekah mortal. A hundred years or so, and Rebekah would be joining them.

"Give Hayley my love. And Josh."

That made Hayley smile. "I love you too, Rebekah. And I'll see you in a hundred years or so." No, her friend couldn't hear her any more than her daughter could, but it helped her to say it, anyway.

The speed with which Elijah was saying his final goodbyes was dizzying. Even Hayley was having a hard time keeping up. But, she understood. He had no way of knowing how long he had before either the Hollow started getting to him, again - or it started getting to Klaus and they had to put the other half back in him. He had to do this fast, or risk running out of time before he got to everyone.

And then Elijah was telling Marcel about his deal with Caroline, and what it meant for Rebekah. Hayley held her breath, waiting for Marcel's reaction.

"I'm going to spend however much time she has with her. I'm going to help her raise her children. No. _Our_ children. They won't be biologically mine, but neither is Davina. And, when the time comes, I'm going to hold her hand, and kiss her one last time, and watch her return to your side."

Hayley let out the breath she was holding in a sigh of relief. It was going to be okay. Oh, Klaus might still give them a hard time about it, but Rebekah and Marcel would be a united front. And with Caroline also on their side, it was going to be okay.

And, she had to agree with both of them about the orphanage idea. She didn't know if Davina wished she could have a family, but it would be good to at least give her the option. And Kol a reason to go on when she was gone. And Rebekah was going to have a blast. Hayley was looking forward to watching it.

"And Josh… Tell Josh that Thierry was wrong. Tell him that I was honored to know him."

Hayley made a mental note to actually share that with Josh. That was something that he had a right to hear for himself.

But then, Elijah was moving again, back to the living room. And it was his conversation with Freya that sent Hayley reeling. It was to Freya that Elijah confessed his feelings of guilt, not just for Hayley's death, but for what he knew his walking away had to have done to her. It was to Freya that he admitted that not all of his reasons for taking Klaus's place were so altruistic. It was with Freya that he finally started to break down.

"I can't face eternity without her. It took me a thousand years to find the other half of myself. And now she's gone. And it's my fault. And I want her back. I want her back. And there's only one way that's going to happen."

Hayley opened her eyes, then. She couldn't stop shaking. And she couldn't bring herself to go back and watch the rest of Elijah's goodbyes. He only had one to go, anyway. He would be home, soon. And that meant that, like she had told Aiden when it was Josh, she needed to pull herself together.

And so she stayed in the cemetery, forcing herself to take deep, relaxing breaths. Forcing herself to ignore the pain from her family that she couldn't bring herself to block. She could take a break while Elijah said goodbye to Kol, but she needed to be there when the time came. She owed him that much. Especially considering what he had said to Freya. Saving Hope was secondary. He was doing this to come home. Home to her. And she needed to be there for him.

And then it was time. Hayley closed her eyes and found herself in the courtyard with Elijah. But, before he had a chance to do what he needed to do, the others were suddenly also there. All of them.

"You wouldn't let me die alone. What makes you think I'll let you die alone?"

"Honestly, Elijah. How long have you known us? Always and forever means exactly that. You're stuck with us until the very end."

Hayley couldn't help but smile at that. A smile that was short-lived. After one last look around at his family, Elijah plunged the white oak stake into his own chest. And Hayley found herself back in the cemetery. Elijah was gone.

A moment later, she felt a pull. The same kind of pull that called her to Hope the day before. Had it really been only a day or so? It felt like so much longer than that. This time, though, she ignored the pull. And she waited, hoping that she wasn't being insanely stupid, that Elijah would feel a similar pull and be able to find her.

The pull was getting stronger, harder to ignore. But she had to. If she wanted a do-over, then she had to stay where she was. She had no idea how long it was before she heard him. Her name. He was calling her name. Even more than the pull towards him had been, it was hard to ignore the pain and fear in his voice as he called for her. But, the sound was getting closer. He was being drawn to her, as well. And then she finally heard footsteps outside her hiding place, the same place the witches had held her all those years ago.

"Hayley! Please. Please be here. Please. Please don't let this be Hell. Please be here." His voice was broken. The sound of a man holding back tears. And Hayley cursed herself and her stupidity. In attempting to start over, to reenact their first meeting, she had made him think she wasn't here waiting for him. That, in fact, in the end he had been deemed unredeemable and been damned to Hell.

She stepped out of her hiding place. "Where the Hell have you been?"


End file.
